The U.S. has finally dropped the much-anticipated crypto market structure bill, and it could be a game-changer. Released by the House Financial Services and Agriculture Committees, the new draft attempts to draw a clear line between who regulates what in the crypto space.
SEC vs CFTC: A Split in Oversight
Unlike the earlier FIT21 proposal, which drew heat for weakening the SEC’s role, this updated bill strikes a more balanced approach. The SEC will continue to oversee crypto tokens that are considered investment contracts, while the CFTC will take the lead on crypto commodities.
According to Paradigm’s Justin Slaughter, the bill keeps the CFTC in the driver’s seat but allows the SEC some control until projects prove they are truly decentralized.
Interestingly, there’s now a formal “decentralization test.” A project must not be under the control of a single party, and large holders (those with over 10%) must be disclosed while it remains centralized. The bill also defines when a blockchain is considered “mature.”
Notably, a blockchain must be open, functional, and not centrally owned — with no more than 20% held by any single party.
Retail investors also get a break. They no longer need to meet high income or wealth requirements to participate. This opens the door for everyday people to invest in crypto, not just the wealthy elite.
DeFi and Stablecoins Get Some Clarity
DeFi protocols that are fully automated and don’t hold user funds might also avoid strict regulations under this bill. It also addresses stablecoins, providing a definition for them but not classifying them as securities.
This comes as a separate stablecoin bill, known as the GENIUS Act, faces political pushback in the Senate.
BeInCrypto sat down with members of the LBank team to analyze the possible resurgence of the meme coin market as a leading crypto narrative and what their fusion with artificial intelligence (AI) can have on their reach.
LBank also discussed the impact of the four-month-old Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation on its operations across Europe. They described a fundamental change in investor confidence in light of greater regulatory clarity and simplified accessibility.
Have Meme Coin Highs Given Way to Devastating Lows?
In recent years, the meme coin market has largely been characterized by overwhelming highs and devastating lows. The first few months of 2025 have further confirmed the volatile nature of these tokens, to the point that a vocal part of the crypto community believes that their recent lows have marked the end of the meme coin lifecycle.
These claims are not unfounded, especially now that the US President has become a meme coin player. When Trump launched his meme coin in mid-January, TRUMP reached a market capitalization of nearly $8.8 billion, a number never before seen by a meme coin launch.
When insider traders capitalized on the surge to sell off their holdings and retain millions of dollars in gains, retail investors bore the brunt of the massive sell-off, suffering hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses.
“The decline in meme coin market cap since January can be attributed to a combination of market dynamics and sentiment shifts. A key driver was the rapid rise and subsequent crash of the TRUMP token, which drew significant market capital due to its viral appeal but collapsed sharply, eroding investor confidence and triggering a broader risk-off sentiment,” Eric He, Community Angel Officer and Risk Control Adviser at LBank told BeInCrypto.
After similar experiences with the MELANIA token and the LIBRA launch, some of these retail investors realized that meme coins —as unregulated and unpredictable as they are— may not be the best investments.
Is the Meme Coin Frenzy Coming to a Halt?
Given the devastating effects that these episodes have had on the meme coin market, trading has reduced significantly. The crypto community seems to have become saturated with news of pump-and-dump schemes and rug pulls, likely contributing to a halt in the meme coin frenzy.
The total meme coin market capitalization has been free-falling since January’s peak following the presidential token launches. Now, its levels resemble those of September 2024. The greater economic downturn that traditional and crypto markets experienced over the past several weeks has only worsened prospects.
Yet, despite this downward pressure, the market still experiences a high level of activity. It has a $14.5 billion trading volume and a $57 billion market capitalization.
Total meme coin market capitalization. Source: CoinGecko.
According to the LBank team, the meme coin industry is due for a revival.
LBank’s Belief in the Revival of the Meme Coin Market
Though the decline in meme coin performance has been significant, the LBank team expressed that these circumstances are far from unexpected. Meme coins are inherently tied to community support and social momentum.
The sustained trading volumes and large market capitalization serve as tangible indicators that, even in a downturn, the market is seeing active community engagement and liquidity. Investors still see value in the tokens’ cultural and speculative appeal.
“We see it as a healthy market correction rather than a fundamental shift. Meme coins have always been volatile, but the fact that trading volumes remain high shows continued interest. What’s happening now is not the end of the trend—it’s just a recalibration before the next wave,” Mario Iemma, Head of Spanish Markets at LBank, told BeInCrypto.
In fact, Iemma believes that meme coins will not be dying out anytime soon.
AI agents represented the first significant shift in the evolution of the cryptocurrency industry. These autonomous systems proved that they could make decisions and perform tasks independently. This technology enhances intelligence, adaptability, and fairness in financial mechanisms.
Now, developers have unlocked artificial intelligence’s potential on tokens. Systems like Grok have already made news by using AI to automatically and independently design and launch tokens.
However, with a nascent technology like AI, the LBank team emphasized the need for responsible and thorough deployment for the long-lasting success of AI-generated tokens. This success hinges on two particular factors: accessibility and security.
Security and Accessibility Challenges for AI-Generated Tokens
The concept of security is frequently associated with any emerging technology. Artificial intelligence is no exception, especially in a particularly unregulated industry like crypto.
According to He, AI-generated token projects’ degree of security and transparency will determine their success.
Iemma agreed, adding that if AI-generative tokens become widely accessible, this development will also require additional layers of oversight.
“That same accessibility demands better filters, vetting, and AI-based security audits—areas where exchanges like LBank are already investing resources,” he said.
While reflecting on the security risks associated with artificial intelligence and the breaches in consumer trust that meme coins have had on the crypto community, the LBank team also emphasized the need for greater regulation in the industry.
The development of cryptocurrency regulations varies significantly across the globe. Notably, the European Union implemented comprehensive rules almost five months ago, while key markets such as the United States are still establishing adequate frameworks.
MiCA’s Effect on the European Crypto Market
Last December, with the implementation of the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation, the European Union became the first jurisdiction to establish a comprehensive and unified regulatory framework for crypto-assets across all its member states, marking a significant milestone.
According to the LBank team, MiCA gives users and institutions a trustworthy framework. This development has proven critical for industry growth across the region.
“MiCA has forced firms to become more transparent and compliant, which is a good thing for long-term trust. We’ve seen exchanges accelerate their legal and operational upgrades. For users, it creates a safer, more predictable environment,” Iemma said, adding, “With clearer rules, banks and investment firms are more willing to explore crypto partnerships, custody solutions, and even tokenized assets. Regulation reduces reputational risk, and MiCA is helping bridge that gap.”
However, this experience can be largely attributed to established firms in the industry and investors with access to substantial resources. Other players, however, have struggled to gather the requirements to apply for a MiCA license.
Future Accommodation for Smaller Crypto Businesses
In discussing the impact of MiCA since its enactment last December, He highlighted how different industry players have responded to the landmark regulation. He noted that startups struggle the most to obtain an operational license.
When evaluating the cost-effectiveness of an operational license, He’s conclusions make sense.
MiCA is an expensive regulation. It mandates minimum capital requirements based on the crypto services offered. These requirements range from €50,000 for advisory and order-related services to €125,000 for exchange and trading platforms and up to €150,000 for custody services. Businesses must maintain this capital as a financial safeguard.
Beyond minimum capital requirements, companies must factor in government and legal fees, local presence costs, bank setups, and ongoing operational costs. But for prominent exchanges like LBank, the benefits outweigh the costs.
Future MiCA updates could address the high compliance costs for smaller businesses. Meanwhile, other regions developing their crypto regulations should consider this aspect to avoid creating similar barriers.
The PCE inflation index report, scheduled for release tomorrow, has all the attention from crypto investors and traders. As a key metric used by the Federal Reserve to guide monetary policy decisions, Personal Consumption Expenditures data has historically influenced the crypto market
The upcoming March figures will be closely watched for signals about potential interest rate adjustments that could affect liquidity and investment flows across financial markets.
Projected PCE inflation for March
Market expectations for tomorrow’s PCE inflation report point to a potential cooling of inflationary pressures. According to data from MarketWatch, the core PCE inflation rate for March is projected to reach 2.6%. This would mark a decrease from February’s 2.8% reading. The February figure had previously shown an uptick from January’s 2.7% rate.
The headline PCE inflation, which includes food and energy prices, is expected to show an even more substantial decline. Year-over-year PCE inflation is forecast to come in at 2.2% for March, down from 2.5% in February.
These forecasts indicate inflation to be gradually inching its way toward the Federal Reserve’s preferred rate of 2%, but still higher. This deceleration in increases in prices follows months of mixed inflation reports, which have made it difficult for the Fed to act on interest rates.
The PCE inflation index is significant in that it is the Federal Reserve’s primary measure to gauge inflation. It provides a better overall view of price activity in the economy than the more widely recognized Consumer Price Index (CPI). The core PCE removes the volatile food and energy prices to provide a better view of the underlying inflation trend.
How would that affect the crypto market?
If the PCE inflation reading is 2.6% for core PCE and 2.2% for headline PCE, the crypto market and Bitcoin price could respond positively. Lower inflation readings would increase the chances that the Federal Reserve would opt for a more accommodative monetary policy. That would translate into interest rate reductions later in the year.
Lower interest rates benefit risk assets like cryptocurrencies in several ways. First, they reduce the attractiveness of return-generating investments like bonds and savings accounts. This could lead people to go into more risky, possibly higher-reward assets like Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Second, a more policy-friendly monetary policy puts more money into the financial system. Also, some of that money may find its way into crypto markets.
If the market aligns with this trend, then Robert Kiyosaki’s $200k price prediction could prove to be true. When PCE numbers are lower than expected (lower than 2.6% for core PCE), they can catalyze an even more positive response in cryptocurrency markets. They would be supporting the argument of earlier and greater interest rate cuts by the Fed. Analyst Will Meade shared the same opinion and tweeted that a cooler-than-expected PCE inflation can cause a jump in stock prices. This could also prove to be positive for crypto prices.
A cooler than expected PCE (Fed’s favorite inflation gauge) tomorrow would likely cause a huge pop in stocks, especially after today JOLTS
Conversely, if inflation proves more persistent than anticipated and exceeds the 2.6% projection, it could have a cooling effect on cryptocurrency prices.