A group of pro-crypto Senate Democrats introduced an amendment to the GENIUS Act that is widely expected to fail—on purpose.
The move appears designed to look like opposition while actually helping the stablecoin bill pass. This largely ceremonial opposition will allow Democrats to save face on a potentially unpopular move.
What’s Happening with the GENIUS ACT?
The GENIUS Act, a major bill to regulate stablecoins, has stirred controversy. Critics worry it could enable corruption or destabilize the financial system. Despite those concerns, the bill retains modest bipartisan support and is advancing in the Senate.
Recently, according to multiple reports, Democrats introduced an amendment—the End Crypto Corruption Act—that allows the bill to proceed to a vote, even if the amendment fails.
This unusual strategy prevents Democrats from using a filibuster to block the GENIUS Act, clearing a key legislative hurdle.
In effect, this lets Democrats claim they tried to strengthen the bill without actually stopping it from passing. One source dubbed the move “Schumer 101.”
The reference is based on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s past use of similar procedural tactics to prevent a government shutdown.
“The [GENIUS Act] as it currently stands still has numerous issues that must be addressed. While we are eager to continue working with our colleagues to address these issues, we would be unable to vote for cloture should the current version of the bill come to the floor,” a joint statement from the amendment’s Democratic supporters read.
Why This Matters
The amendment is symbolic. It won’t pass, but it gives cover to pro-crypto Democrats who don’t want to publicly back the GENIUS Act outright.
Also, it neutralizes the filibuster threat. A filibuster is a procedural tactic used in the US Senate to delay or block a vote on a bill or nomination. By introducing this amendment via a cloture vote, Democrats can’t later use the filibuster to block the bill.
Most importantly, it ensures forward momentum. Even with some public opposition, the GENIUS Act can now reach a vote and likely pass.
Recently, Rep. Maxine Waters led a Democratic boycott of a crypto policy hearing.
The vote for the GENIUS Act’s final fate will take place sometime next week, and a few Democrats still vocally oppose it. Nothing is necessarily guaranteed; Republican defectors may get cold feet.
Still, currently, its chances look very good. Stablecoin regulation in the US may be on the verge of major success.
MANTRA is planning to launch a $108,888,888 Ecosystem Fund to drive RWA innovation over the next four years and help accelerate projects in MANTRA’s blockchain ecosystem.
MANTRA’s native token OM has shown significant resilience in the current market downturn. OM is currently the only altcoin among the top 30 tokens to have posted positive gains over the past 24 hours.
Today, it announced the launch of a $108,888,888 Ecosystem Fund to propel RWA innovation in its blockchain ecosystem.
“In an era where blockchain technology is revolutionizing finance, the MEF will serve as a catalyst for groundbreaking projects that drive real-world adoption through a focus upon the tokenization of real world assets. We are opening doors for visionary founders and teams to join us in building and creating a thriving ecosystem,” claimed John Patrick Mullin, founder and CEO.
Mullin delivered these comments in an exclusive press release shared with BeInCrypto. MANTRA plans to deploy this fund over the next four years, working with “a strong network of partners and investors” to maximize RWA growth.
The firm also claimed that its new license approvals in Dubai will allow it to facilitate advanced financial services.
MANTRA successfully obtained a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) license, which will allow it to act as a crypto exchange and offer broker-dealer, management, and Investment Services. With these tools, the network can direct RWA investment.
Today, we’re announcing the launch of the MEF – a $108,888,888 million investment initiative designed to propel real world asset innovation, adoption and growth.
But we’re not doing this alone. We’ve got leading incubators, accelerators and capital partners by our side;… pic.twitter.com/oyeCOJ9QrE
— MANTRA | Tokenizing RWAs (@MANTRA_Chain) April 7, 2025
In fact, MANTRA’s native token is the only cryptocurrency among the top 30 to have any positive gains. It’s also among the top 5 highest gainers in the market today.
MANTRA (OM) Daily Price Chart. Source: BeInCrypto
Overall, investors seem extremely confident in MATRA’s growth and the network’s continuous development. The project’s latest investment fund reflects its commitment to influencing positive developments in the RWA ecosystem.
Meanwhile, the find will likely encourage more RWA projects to launch or shift to the network, increasing MANTRA’s utility. According to DefiLlama, the network only has $4.2 million in total value locked (TVL).
With this fund, the project’s main goal will be to improve participation and long-term engagement on the blockchain.
REX Shares has filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to introduce two new exchange-traded funds (ETFs) centered on Ethereum and Solana.
The filing, submitted on May 30, was marked “immediately effective,” signaling that the launch could happen soon.
REX’s New ETF Filings to Test SEC’s Stance on Staking
According to the SEC filing, these ETFs will hold the underlying crypto assets and stake a portion of them.
Each fund plans to invest at least 80% of its assets in either Ethereum or Solana. At least 50% of those holdings will be staked to earn on-chain rewards, which investors will receive as dividend income.
Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas highlighted the filing’s significance, noting that it could lead to the launch of the first spot Solana ETF, as current offerings only track Solana futures.
He added that REX leveraged the Investment Company Act of 1940 (40 Act) to fast-track the listing. This allows the firm to bypass the longer and more cumbersome process tied to the Securities Act of 1933 (33 Act).
First-ever staked Ether and Solana ETFs could be launching soon. REX filing went effective (meaning launch likely in near-term). Would also be first-ever spot Solana too (only futures exist curr). This is the benefit of using 40 Act, it’s faster track to mkt but more work/boxes… https://t.co/GzSUbtLkq7
Moreover, these funds will operate as C corporations rather than follow the traditional structure of regulated investment companies (RICs). This structure provides specific tax advantages, particularly for staking-related activities.
James Seyffart, another Bloomberg ETF analyst, called the move a “clever legal and regulatory workaround” to bring staking-based ETFs to market.
“These ETFs are structured as c-corps which is very rare in the ETF world. Only really used for some MLP ETFs that I can think of top of my head. There are pros and cons to the structure but looks like one pro is that this was one way to get some level of signoff from the SEC,” Seyffart stated.
However, he cautioned that the long-term viability of this approach remains uncertain. This is because more efficient structures, such as grantor trusts, could eventually replace C-corp ETFs.
“There might be more efficient vehicles/structures for this type of exposure that come to market in the future. Maybe even later this year. Maybe later than that. There are lots of questions about grantor trusts and their ability to do staking that will likely require input from the IRS. (Grantor trusts are the structure underlying the current spot bitcoin and ethereum ETFs and the structure behind all the other spot crypto ETP filings),” Seyffart added.
On Thursday, the financial regulator clarified that staking models do not automatically qualify as securities. It also noted that additional features like early withdrawal options or bundled services don’t change the regulatory status.
“The Division of Corporation Finance clarified its view that certain proof-of-stake blockchain protocol “staking” activities are not securities transactions within the scope of the federal securities laws,” SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce said.
Welcome to the US Morning Crypto News Briefing—your essential rundown of the most important developments in crypto for the day ahead.
Grab a coffee to see what analysts say about Bitcoin amid the showdown between BTC behemoth Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) and Jack Mallers’ investment firm, 21 Capital. With their Bitcoin models coming into question, is there a specific definition of what winning means in Bitcoin?
Strategy Grows Bitcoin Stockpile, Buys $1.42 Billion in BTC
Strategy announced that it recently purchased another 15,355 BTC worth approximately $1.42 billion at an average price of $92,737 last week.
The firm currently holds 553,555 BTC, valued at approximately $52.7 billion. The average buying price is $68,459, and the unrealized profit is $14.8 billion.
“By continuing to grow its Bitcoin holdings, the company maintains its status as a major force in the cryptocurrency market, drawing interest from investors and industry analysts. Strategy is the largest Bitcoin Treasury Company, an independent, publicly traded business intelligence company, and a Nasdaq 100 stock,” Phoenix reported.
A recent US Crypto News publication highlighted the advent of 21 Capital. The Bitcoin investment firm sprouted after Cantor Fitzgerald, SoftBank, Tether, and Bitfinex pooled $3 billion in capital.
Based on sentiment, this new venture could inadvertently challenge Strategy’s position at the helm of corporate Bitcoin ownership in a model sense. According to 21 Capital, Strategy size could make increasing its Bitcoin per share difficult, a metric investors tend to consider.
Amid chatter that 21 Capital could threaten the Michael Saylor-led firm, BitStrategy, a shareholder at Strategy, challenged the prospective market rival’s business model.
Tension Grows in Bitcoin Treasury Space
In a detailed post on X (Twitter), BitStrategy acknowledged the brewing tension in the Bitcoin treasury arena. However, it holds that Strategy is way ahead of the competition.
“Their company is in direct competition with ours, and they seek to exploit a perceived vulnerability in our structure, openly highlighting their strengths relative to ours to win investment,” BitStrategy challenged in a recent post.
Beyond BTC Yield, also reported in a recent US Crypto News publication, the firm initiated key performance indicators months ago- BTC Gain and BTC $ Gain.
Bitcoin Gain multiplies the BTC Yield by Strategy’s aggregate balance, reflecting the scale of the firm’s operations.
Bitcoin $ Gain takes this further, converting the BTC Gain into dollar terms, for added transparency.
This proactivity by Strategy suggests a commitment to defend its position as a leading Bitcoin-holding corporation amidst rising rivals.
“You can fake an impressive BTC Yield. You cannot fake an impressive BTC Gain,” BitStrategy chimed.
However, analyst KenjiKoshu argues that while Strategy may show substantial Bitcoin gains, smaller companies like 21 Capital could achieve higher Bitcoin per share.
“As someone who has done deep thinking about why MSTR is undervalued, it might be true BTC gain can still be substantial if not higher for MSTR. On a per-share basis, however, which would be what supports the stock; it will be hard to deny a smaller, similarly reputable company is going to make more Bitcoin per share when on the same strategy,” the analyst wrote.
This outlook aligns with sentiment from 21 Capital that Strategy’s large size impedes increasing its Bitcoin per share.
However, BitStrategy articulated that the point of BTC Gain and BTC $ Gain signals the importance of a whole-of-company view of performance relative to a per-share view.
Per the shareholder, there is no agreed-upon conventional valuation methodology for Bitcoin companies. This means any metric is somewhat arbitrary.
Investors increasingly turn to digital assets as a safe haven, with Bitcoin becoming a hedge against the US dollar’s volatility as crypto inflows surge to $3.4 billion.
