The CLARITY Act Failed in the Senate. What Comes Next for Crypto?

The CLARITY Act Failed in the Senate. What Comes Next for Crypto?

Author: Bitcoin.com September 21, 2026 Duration: 35:57

The CLARITY Act failed to advance in the U.S. Senate leaving one of crypto’s biggest regulatory questions unresolved.


So what happens now for DeFi, crypto companies, developers, and users in the United States?


Orest Gavryliak, Chief Legal Officer at 1inch, joins the conversation to break down what happened to the legislation, why the Senate procedural vote mattered, and what options may still remain if Congress cannot move comprehensive crypto market-structure legislation forward.


A major focus of the discussion is DeFi.

How should regulators treat non-custodial protocols and software developers that don’t operate like traditional financial intermediaries? What protections should developers receive? And how much regulatory clarity can agencies such as the SEC and CFTC provide without Congress passing new legislation?


Orest also discusses:

  • What happened to the CLARITY Act in the Senate
  • Whether the legislation could still return
  • Why DeFi and non-custodial infrastructure are difficult to regulate
  • The developer protections 1inch wants to see
  • Token classification and regulatory exemptions
  • What the SEC and CFTC could potentially address without Congress
  • How the U.S. compares with the UK, UAE, and EU
  • What clearer rules could mean for everyday crypto users

The conversation also explores the political factors surrounding the bill’s setback and why agency-level regulation may not provide the same long-term certainty as legislation passed by Congress.


With major questions around DeFi regulation still unresolved, where does the industry go from here?


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Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

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