JPMorgan warns time is running short for crypto market structure bill
Key takeaways
- Debate over whether stablecoins can offer yield remains the biggest obstacle, with banks and crypto firms divided on the issue.
- The bill cleared the Senate Banking Committee on May 14, but must still secure 60 votes in the full Senate, be reconciled with House legislation and receive the president's signature.
- A compromise reached before the midterms could look materially different from one negotiated after the elections, when political incentives may shift.
Debate over whether stablecoins can offer yield remains the biggest obstacle, with banks and crypto firms divided on the issue. Restrictions on passive stablecoin yield could drive more capital toward tokenized Treasuries, money-market funds and tokenized deposits, the bank said.JPMorgan (JPM) said the proposed U.S. crypto market structure bill, known as the Clarity Act, may have only a limited window for passage this year as the congressional calendar tightens ahead of the midterm elections and debate over stablecoin yield remains unresolved.
"With the U.S. midterms approaching, the legislative window for passage of the Market Structure Bill has narrowed, which could postpone progress oncrypto market-structure reform this year," wrote analysts led by Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou in the Wednesday report.
The bill cleared the Senate Banking Committee on May 14, but must still secure 60 votes in the full Senate, be reconciled with House legislation and receive the president's signature. Those remaining steps, coupled with growing pushback from the banking industry, have lowered expectations that the measure will be enacted this year, the analysts said.