Ripple CEO Urges Congress to Pass Clarity Act

Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of Ripple, is publicly backing the effort to pass the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act.

He has urged lawmakers to move forward with the legislation despite political disagreements.  

Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of Ripple, recently used X (formerly Twitter) to reply to comments made by Ripple’s legal chief, Stuart Alderoty. Alderoty had stated that lawmakers shouldn’t delay important crypto legislation while waiting for a flawless bill.

Garlinghouse agreed, saying, “I was thinking the same thing! We shouldn’t let the pursuit of perfection hold us back from finishing this.”

According to Alderoty, the Clarity Act aims to protect consumers by creating more defined regulations for the crypto industry and giving regulators better tools to enforce those rules.

According to Alderoty, the Clarity Act would protect consumers by strengthening anti-money laundering and ‘know your customer’ regulations, and by giving law enforcement and state attorneys general the tools they need. He argues that without it, consumers will continue to be vulnerable to fraud because there are no clear rules to prevent bad actors from taking advantage of the situation.

These statements arrive as the proposed law encounters increasing resistance from certain Senate Democrats. Senators Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, and Ruben Gallego of Arizona are among those objecting to the current version of the bill.

As an analyst, I’m seeing increasing doubt about whether this bill will move forward successfully, and the window to pass it is rapidly closing. Currently, I estimate there’s less than a 40% chance the Clarity Act becomes law before the end of the year.

As a researcher following market structure debates, I’ve noted that Joshua Riezman at GSR believes we shouldn’t let disagreements about side issues prevent us from making important improvements to how markets function. He argues that focusing on the core reforms is key, even if there are other points of contention.

According to Riezman, some Senate Democrats seem to be misjudging both the substance and the political implications of the CLARITY debate.

He warned that rejecting the legislation could preserve regulatory uncertainty.

Riezman explained that disrupting established market rules due to concerns unrelated to the main goal won’t improve things. In fact, it would create ongoing uncertainty for regulations, drive new developments to other countries, and undo a lot of previously agreed-upon progress.

Coinbase calls for Senate vote 

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong supports the proposed legislation, stating it’s prepared to be considered by the entire Senate.

Armstrong stated that the bill is a genuine compromise achieved through extensive collaboration between both parties, involving thousands of hours of effort.

Armstrong argued that the current regulatory environment has failed to protect American consumers. 

In my research, it’s become clear that the current situation in the U.S. regarding cryptocurrency isn’t effective. We lack a comprehensive federal regulatory framework, which leaves American consumers vulnerable to companies like FTX and pushes much of the industry to operate outside of our legal reach.

Armstrong believes this new law will both protect consumers and help the United States become more competitive in the worldwide digital currency market.

Now that cryptocurrency exists, it’s not going anywhere. So, regardless of your opinion on it, having clear rules from the federal government is important, he explained.

2026-07-23 08:54