A new bill appears to regulate Bitcoin in the United States

Source: Criptonoticias Original Title: New Bill Proposal Emerges to Regulate Bitcoin in the United States Original Link: https://www.criptonoticias.com/regulacion/aparece-nuevo-proyecto-ley-regular-bitcoin-estadosunidos/

Context of the Legislative Proposal

The U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee revealed, on January 21, the Digital Commodity Intermediaries Act, an updated version focused on digital commodities that complements and competes with the proposed CLARITY (Digital Asset Market Clarity Act).

This new initiative aims to grant the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) full authority over the spot trading of crypto assets like bitcoin (BTC), reshaping the regulatory landscape amid increasing political pressure and presidential promises.

Senator Republican John Boozman, chairman of the Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, made the document public on Wednesday night. The text represents an evolution of a previous bipartisan draft, enriched with contributions from various stakeholders. A debate and amendment session is scheduled for January 27 of this year.

In a statement, Boozman acknowledged that differences with his Democratic colleagues persist but highlighted progress: “While fundamental policy disagreements remain, this bill is based on our bipartisan draft and incorporates input from stakeholders. It represents months of work.”

Scope of the Regulation

This proposal focuses on digital commodities intermediaries. It requires registration of bitcoin and cryptocurrency exchanges, brokers, and other services that handle custody of assets, execute orders, or manage margins.

It is noteworthy that the legislative text does not seek to regulate self-custody wallets or non-custodial decentralized finance (DeFi) interfaces, limiting its scope to entities that take custody or directly control transactions.

A Regulatory Race on Two Fronts

With the emergence of the Digital Commodity Intermediaries Act (Agriculture Committee, CFTC jurisdiction), it now competes in the Senate with the previously introduced CLARITY Act, presented by the Banking Committee chaired by Republican Tim Scott.

This initiative addresses (securities) under the supervision of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), combines with the Genius Law for stablecoins, and aims to prevent broader financial risks.

The Banking Committee’s debate session was postponed in January after receiving criticism, including the withdrawal of support announced by the CEO of a cryptocurrency platform. However, it is likely that the law regulating the U.S. cryptocurrency market will be delayed by at least several weeks.

Reports indicate that key legislators are focusing their attention on potential housing legislation to support President Donald Trump’s initiative to improve housing affordability. Therefore, it is probable that the committee will postpone further consideration of the important digital assets legislation until late February or March.

Presidential Promises and Legislative Calendar

Donald Trump, in his speech at Davos on January 21, 2026, promised to sign “very soon” a digital assets market structure law, aiming to position the United States as the global cryptocurrency capital.

“Now Congress is working very hard on crypto market structure legislation, Bitcoin, all that, which I hope to sign very soon,” Trump stated.

The quick path to approval involves debate sessions in Senate committees in January or February 2026. The Agriculture Committee plans to vote on January 27, and the Banking Committee may reschedule its session if disputes are resolved.

Following this, a vote in the full Senate would occur, reconciliation with the House of Representatives version, and finally, sending it to the president. Bipartisan support and pressure from figures like Trump could accelerate this process, reducing it from years to just months.

An estimate suggests that the bill could reach the president’s desk for signing between March and June 2026. Sources indicate a 50 percent chance of passage in the first half if committees make progress in January, though delays could extend the process until late 2026 or even 2027.

The countdown continues to define the regulatory future of cryptocurrencies in the world’s largest economy.