The U.S. Congress is moving forward with efforts to regulate the cryptocurrency industry, with a particular focus on stablecoins. A new stablecoin bill has been introduced in the House of Representatives, building on previous legislative efforts. This bill aims to provide clearer guidelines on how companies can issue dollar-denominated digital tokens and set the stage for broader crypto oversight.
House Version of Stablecoin Bill Released
The U.S. House of Representatives has moved forward in digital asset regulation efforts after it published its stablecoin bill text to the public. The two congressmen, Bryan Steil and French Hill introduced stablecoin legislation, that dictates rules for digital tokens which bind their value to the U.S. dollar.
Steil who leads the Financial Services Committee crypto panel stated the bill functions to unite stablecoin legislative frameworks between the House and Senate.
The legislation known as the Stablecoin Transparency and Accountability for a Better Ledger Economy (STABLE Act) follows Congress’ ongoing development of digital asset regulations. According to Hill the bill constitutes part of an extensive program to establish regulatory clarity for cryptocurrency operations. He stated that the bill aims to establish financial regulations which require stablecoin companies to maintain transparency while protecting consumers and the system.
Senate Stablecoin Bill Moves Forward
There has been some progress made on the regulation of stablecoins by the Senate as the bill was moved to the Banking Committee where it enjoyed bipartisan support. This bill has made its way to the Senate floor, awaiting the senate action. Rep.
Representative Tom Emmer, a crypto supporter in Congress, noted that even though the two bills are somewhat similar but have distinct features, such differences are not significant and can be sorted out as the bills progressed through the legislative procedure.
Lawmakers are looking forward to passing the stablecoin laws in the next few weeks especially following US President Donald Trump directive on stablecoin regulation. Emmer remained optimistic that the bill will be finished by August. This momentum is part of a wider effort in Congress to provide more stability in the regulation of cryptocurrencies so that companies and users have better frameworks to follow.
Efforts to Clarify Crypto Asset Regulations
Additionally, Emmer also reintroduced the Securities Clarity Act as another bill targeting how cryptocurrencies fit into the domain of securities.
This bill, sponsored with republican partner Darren Soto, is to clarify legal uncertainty existing in the United States concerning the qualification of digital assets under the securities law. Emmer thus urged for better formalism saying that business requires legal predictability to the effect that they are able to conduct their operations within the legal framework.
Emmer’s actions are in line with other pieces of legislation that have been made to determine how digital assets should be regulated within the U.S. financial system. These steps are regarded as crucial in offering that legal certainty that many cryptocurrencies and blockchain start-ups have claimed to need to enhance business growth and development.
Wyoming and Other States Enter the Stablecoin Market
As federal lawmakers push forward with stablecoin regulations, states are also taking steps to position themselves as leaders in the crypto space. Wyoming, in particular, is moving toward launching its own state-backed stablecoin.
Governor Mark Gordon has announced plans to issue a stablecoin fully backed by U.S. dollar reserves, aiming to provide a fast, low-cost alternative for digital payments.
The state’s move is part of a broader trend, with other companies and states working on their own stablecoin projects. Custodia and Vantage Bank, for example, recently launched the Avit stablecoin, backed by U.S. dollar reserves and based on the Ethereum blockchain. These efforts reflect the growing interest in stablecoins as a way to bridge the gap between traditional financial systems and the emerging digital economy.
Since US President Donald Trump assumed office, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has dropped, settled, or paused lawsuits against prominent crypto entities left and right. In stark contrast to the previous administration’s leadership under Chair Gary Gensler, the SEC seems to be parting from its previous crackdown on digital assets.
In an interview with BeInCrypto, Nick Puckrin, Founder of The Coin Bureau, and Hank Huang, Chief Executive Officer at Kronos Research, highlighted the substantial election influence the crypto industry had over Trump’s candidacy as a contributing factor to the SEC’s looser stance on crypto.
The SEC’s Approach Under Trump
The SEC has experienced a clear shift in its approach to crypto lawsuits under Trump’s presidency. Its move away from the aggressive enforcement tactics of its previous leadership has largely characterized this shift.
“When President Donald Trump won the US election, the crypto industry rejoiced. Finally, the ‘regulation by enforcement’ era, which the SEC under the leadership of Gary Gensler was so famous for, was about to come to an end. And the new administration didn’t disappoint. Within just a couple of weeks of Trump’s inauguration, the revamped SEC started dropping lawsuits against crypto firms left, right and center,” Puckrin said.
Two weeks ago, the SEC officially dropped its appeal and XRP lawsuit against Ripple Labs, ending a five-year legal battle. The Commission had originally accused Ripple of conducting an unregistered securities offering worth $1.3 billion through XRP sales.
“After more than four years in limbo, the SEC has officially decided that XRP is not a security (though what it is instead remains to be seen). This case has been weighing heavily on XRP – the fourth largest cryptocurrency with a market cap of roughly $130 billion– so its resolution is a major win,” Puckrin added.
The wider crypto community celebrated the outcome, with many arguing that it will set a precedent for how digital assets are classified in the US. This prediction is warranted, given that the SEC has been on a lawsuit-dropping spree.
The SEC has also dropped several ongoing investigations against OpenSea, Robinhood, Uniswap Labs, Kraken, and Gemini. It has also asked a federal court to issue a 60-day pause over its litigation against Binance. Meanwhile, the Commission settled its investigation into ConsenSys over its Ethereum software products.
These lawsuits surfaced in parallel to a series of crypto-friendly measures meant to foster greater innovation and curb potential regulatory suffocation that had existed during the Biden era.
Will New Leadership Define Clear Crypto Regulations?
A day after Trump assumed office, SEC Acting Chairman Mark Uyeda announced the creation of a dedicated crypto task force led by Commissioner Hester Peirce. The task force was reportedly designed to resolve long-standing ambiguities in the regulatory treatment of digital assets.
In all SEC crypto lawsuits, Commissioner Uyeda has implemented a strategy prioritizing industry engagement to develop regulatory frameworks that balance innovation and investor protection.
Meanwhile, Trump strategically nominated Paul Atkins, a crypto-curious, regulation-light candidate, to replace Gensler as head of the SEC. Just this week, the Senate Banking Committee voted to advance Atkins’ nomination to the full Senate.
Now, only a stone’s throw away from becoming SEC Chair, Atkins is expected to loosen regulatory oversight on crypto.
“With the establishment of a new Task Force and key appointees like Paul Atkins fostering innovation, Trump’s strategic move to create a Bitcoin reserve within the government further underscores his commitment to supporting the industry. The future of crypto regulations will be focused on less oversight and the beginning of a delicate but promising thaw in the regulatory landscape,” Huang added.
Though some say Trump’s handling of crypto affairs has resulted in a never-before-seen triumph, others are weary that his increasing involvement in the industry has turned out to be a recipe for disaster.
The Impact of Crypto Donations on Regulations
Several industry leaders went to great lengths to ensure that Trump became America’s 47th president. Millions of dollars in donations from crypto firms throughout Trump’s campaign illustrated these efforts.
According to a Public Citizen report, over $119 million from crypto corporations went into influencing the 2024 federal elections, largely through Fairshake, a non-partisan super PAC backing pro-crypto candidates and opposing skeptics.
Crypto corporations donated over $119 million to the 2024 federal elections. Source: Public Citizen
Coinbase and Ripple, among others who stand to profit, directly provided over half of Fairshake’s funding. The remaining funds mostly came from billionaire crypto executives and venture capitalists. Notable contributions included $44 million from the founders of Andreessen Horowitz, $5 million from the Winklevoss twins, and $1 million from Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong.
So far, big crypto’s spending strategy is paying off with a more favorable environment.
Without a clear framework to guide the crypto industry following these dropped lawsuits, this lax approach risks being short-lived. Ultimately, this could tarnish long-term crypto adoption.
“Somehow, all these victories feel somewhat hollow after the reputation of the crypto industry has been tarnished by the billions of dollars in combined losses from meme coin scams. Meanwhile, Hayden Davis, the mastermind behind LIBRA, continues to launch fraudulent meme tokens, despite being on the Interpol wanted list,” he said.
A 2024 report by Web3 intelligence platform Merkle Science revealed that meme coin rug pulls cost investors over $500 million. The February LIBRA incident showed how this trend was carried over to 2025. Nansen data revealed that 86% of investors lost $251 million, while insiders pocketed $180 million in profits.
Though crypto scammers may be charged with related crimes like wire fraud or money laundering, rug pulling is legal. Better said, it’s unaccounted for. No regulation holds crypto insiders responsible for meme coin scams.
“As crypto becomes an ever more mainstream asset class, consumers need to be protected against those who choose to use it for nefarious purposes. One way to do this is through education, and that’s our job as an industry. But deterring scams and extractive behavior is the job of the regulators. And it’s time they stepped up to the task,” Puckrin told BeInCrypto.
If the SEC doesn’t take advantage of this opportunity to curb the consequences that meme coin scams can produce, it will result in an enormous setback for the industry.
Comprehensive Regulation Beyond Dropped Lawsuits
Puckrin illustrated the need for heightened regulatory clarity in crypto by drawing attention to the way the SEC penalizes insider trading in the context of traditional investing.
“In traditional investing, insider trading is a serious crime. In the US, it’s punishable by fines of up to $5 million for individuals and prison sentences up to 20 years. Similarly, federal penalties for engaging with illegal gambling activities include up to five years in prison. Perpetrators of memecoin scams must be punished with the same level of severity, because the result is the same: manipulating markets and cheating unsuspecting investors out of their savings,” he said.
Puckrin clarified, however, that the issue isn’t solely about penalizing fraudsters. Just as the SEC’s past overregulation hindered the industry, the current lack of meme coin rules creates an environment where new scams and exploitative schemes can easily flourish.
“Yes, the removal of lawsuits is great news for blockchain innovation, but something needs to replace it. Indeed, serious cryptocurrency firms have never advocated for an unregulated Wild West. What they want is clarity and rules that are fit for the nascent blockchain industry – not just a copy-and-paste of existing financial regulations that simply don’t work for crypto,” he said.
Although the Trump administration has only been in place for four months, the clock is ticking, and meaningful change takes time.
Unanswered Questions Loom
Puckrin expressed concern over the current administration’s prioritization of lawsuit dismissals instead of working faster to implement transcendental crypto regulation.
“My concern is that regulators will keep kicking the can down the road with crypto regulation, having gained the approval of the industry for dropping the many lawsuits that were stifling its growth. And this is incredibly dangerous,” he told BeInCrypto.
Meanwhile, critical questions that only the SEC can define remain unanswered.
“What are memecoins and who will ensure another LIBRA fiasco doesn’t happen? Are utility altcoins now commodities and if so, will the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) regulate them? And, importantly, what do we do about compensating investors who have lost billions to crypto fraud?” Puckrin concluded.
The SEC’s current direction promises a regulated renaissance or a breeding ground for future crises.
With billions lost and critical questions unanswered, the future of crypto hinges on whether the regulatory body will translate its recent shift into a lasting framework that fosters innovation without sacrificing investor protection.
Amid growing uncertainty, a top analyst has named three scenarios that could cause Cardano (ADA) to outperform Solana (SOL). The projection from the analyst AM_Panic comes as the broader cryptocurrency sector witnesses a massive downturn spearheaded by Bitcoin (BTC).
3 Scenarios Favoring Cardano Over Solana
The analyst began by acknowledging Cardano’s accelerated growth, including plans to enhance its scalability. He noted on X that a potential ADA price surge largely depends on Cardano’s capacity to implement its scalability plans.
Should the network achieve this feat, it may attract more Decentralized Applications (dApps), which will benefit the blockchain and help it outrank Solana.
In the second scenario, the analyst expects that any setback or regulatory challenge to the Solana network will negatively impact its price. If it records a 20% price dip, this would affect its market cap, which is currently at $50.11 billion. A 20% fall can raise the market cap to $50.11 billion, making it easier for Cardano to meet continued growth.
The last scenario is tied to favorable market conditions. Once there are either bullish crypto trends or more regulatory clarity, especially with Donald Trump as President, Cardano may benefit more. The market analyst believes the Layer-1 blockchain is even better if positioned as a stable, research-driven alternative.
The Solana Memecoin Woes
In recent weeks, Solana has faced several woes, ranging from a slowdown in token growth within its network to its price drawdown.
Solana Powerhouse Pump.Fun, known as the source of the ecosystem boom over the past few months, has recorded a slowdown in adoption. From abuse by creators to a shift from risk-on assets amid the global stock market meltdown, Solana’s price has experienced more drawbacks.
Most critics also warn that Solana is sacrificing decentralization for speed, fueling boycott concerns in the long term.
Price Outlook for Cardano and Solana
The ADA price is $0.7302 after recording a 24-hour price gain of 6.52%. SOL trades at $127.62, corresponding to a 7.31% increase within the last 24 hours.
Notably, several analysts are optimistic that the coin will see better days. Market analyst Crypto Jobs, in SOL price analysis, shows how the coin fluctuated between $153 and $138, suggesting a season of indecision in the crypto market.
While analysts have predicted that the coin’s price may hit $200 soon and even reach higher levels, there are at least three reasons why it may not attain this level in March. Similarly, Cardano’s price faces selling pressure in a descending triangle and recently tested support at $0.76.
