Regulation

Coinbase CEO Addresses CLARITY Act Failure and WSJ Report

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong stated that The Wall Street Journal is preparing a report blaming Coinbase and him personally for the failure of the U.S. CLARITY Act. Armstrong clarified that he opposed an early draft of the bill in January due to significant flaws but strongly supported the final version sent to the Senate.

Saturday, September 19, 2026
Issue cover: Bitcoin Above $80,000, ETF Inflows, and XRP Developments
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Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong addressed an upcoming WSJ report.

The report is expected to blame Coinbase for the CLARITY Act's failure.

Armstrong opposed an early draft of the bill in January due to flaws.

He strongly supported the final version of the CLARITY Act sent to the Senate.

Story

The debate surrounding crypto regulation in the U.S. takes a new turn as Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong addressed an upcoming report from The Wall Street Journal. Armstrong stated that the WSJ is preparing a report that aims to blame Coinbase and him personally for the failure of the U.S. CLARITY Act. He emphasized that he had opposed an early draft of the bill in January due to significant flaws in areas including DeFi, tokenization, CFTC regulatory authority, and stablecoin reward mechanisms, which could harm the crypto industry. Armstrong explained that Coinbase subsequently collaborated with multiple parties to push for revisions to the bill. The final version of the CLARITY Act sent to the Senate was "good," and he strongly supported it. The CLARITY Act's failure to advance in the Senate on September 15 underscores the ongoing challenges in creating a comprehensive and fair regulatory framework for the crypto industry in the United States. Armstrong's statement highlights the complex political and public relations dynamics shaping the industry.

Issue context

The crypto market demonstrates resilience as Bitcoin has surpassed the $80,000 mark. This occurs despite the U.S. Senate's failure to advance the CLARITY Act. Meanwhile, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is pushing ahead with its own regulatory efforts, having submitted a crypto market structure rulemaking draft to the White House for review on September 17, 2026. These developments suggest the market is absorbing regulatory uncertainties and adapting to existing or new frameworks. In parallel, crypto ETFs, particularly for Zcash and Ethereum, are recording significant capital inflows, indicating growing institutional interest. The momentum in Ethereum derivatives and the technical patterns observed in XRP also signal heightened activity and potential price movements.

Current market movements indicate that capital continues to flow into the crypto space despite regulatory uncertainties. Pay attention to the confirmation of technical patterns and the impact of protocol upgrades, as these can lead to increased volatility. Your risk tolerance should form the basis of any decision.

Market pulse

Fear & Greed

71

Greed

BTC Funding

+0.0066%

20 perp markets · OI $59.2B

BTC Open Interest

$59.2B

Top venue Binance (Futures) · 24h vol $102.5B · basis +0.023%

ETH Funding

+0.0067%

20 perp markets · OI $41.2B

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This story is part of the Biturai Market Brief and is for informational purposes only. No investment advice.