cryptocurrency

The crypto industry and investors are awaiting the completion of the US CLARITY Act, which has been delayed amid partisan politics and industry concerns.
The bill would rewrite the rules of the road for the crypto industry, from which agency oversees it to regulations for decentralized finance ( #defi ).
Currently, lawmakers in the US Senate are hammering out the details, with significant points of contention. Democrats want a bipartisan bill with ethics provisions and a bailout prohibition that Republicans roundly rejected.
The crypto industry itself has taken issue with some of the provisions. Namely, Coinbase, the largest crypto exchange in the US, doesn’t want a bill that prevents it from offering #stablecoin yields. The US bank lobby opposes such yields, saying they threaten deposits and the stability of the financial system.
The bill has gone through several iterations. Here’s a look at how far it’s come:
May 2025: CLARITY comes to Washington
House Committee on Financial Services Chairman French Hill first introduced the CLARITY Act on May 29, 2025.
The goal of the bill, according to the committee, was to establish “clear, functional requirements for digital asset market participants, prioritizing consumer protection while fostering innovation.”
The committee said the bill was needed for several reasons, mainly that digital assets represented the next step in digital financial innovation and that the regulatory status quo was stifling possibilities.
June-July 2025: House passes crypto bill
The House of Representatives moved with uncharacteristic speed on the CLARITY Act. In June, the bill moved through markup sessions in the House committees on agriculture and financial services and was placed on the calendar for a vote on the floor by June 23.
On July 17, the House of Representatives passed the bill, 294-134. The vote found more support among Republicans. Some 216 Republicans supported the bill, none opposed, while four abstained from voting.
There was some bipartisan support: 78 Democrats joined in voting “Yea,” while most of them, 134 Democratic Representatives, voted “Nay.” No Democrats abstained from voting.

With the vote, the bill moved to the upper house, the US Senate, where it has since been under debate.
July-September 2025: Senate starts work
The Senate quickly got underway with work on CLARITY. On July 22, Republican leaders on the US Senate Banking Committee released a draft version of the bill.
The discussion draft would “establish clear distinctions between digital asset securities and commodities, modernize our regulatory framework, and position the United States as the global leader in digital asset innovation.”
Senate Banking Committee Chair Tim Scott was optimistic about the Senate moving just as quickly as the House, giving an initial deadline of Sept. 30, 2025.
October-December 2025: Senators at odds during government shutdown
Democrats on the Senate Banking Committee, including noted #cryptocurrency skeptic Senator Elizabeth Warren, were opposed to several parts of the discussion draft.
Warren took issue with how taxes would be treated under the law, saying in a statement that “proposals to clarify crypto’s tax treatment could ultimately give crypto an unfair advantage over other financial products.”
She also said that the proposals “make it harder to track what’s happening in crypto transactions if they are being used for illegal purposes.”
Senate Democrats also came up with their own proposals on how the bill would regulate DeFi. According to partners at Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom, these DeFi rules sought to “leverage existing regulatory frameworks to create a crypto market structure and show Congress’ instinct to retrofit the current system rather than design one built for crypto.”
This was diametrically opposed to Republicans’ and the crypto industry’s vision, which was to create a new, bespoke system for the digital asset industry.
On Nov. 11, 2025, the Senate Agricultural Committee released its own discussion draft of CLARITY. The draft noted that lawmakers were still discussing the idea of which federal agency, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) or the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC), would regulate the industry.
Further hindering progress was the US federal government shutdown from Oct. 1 to Nov. 12 — the longest in history after the previous one that occurred in President Donald Trump’s first term. It only ended after a small group of Senate Democrats voted with Republicans to pass a resolution to temporarily fund the government.
December 2025-January 2026: Markup session, crypto industry gets impatient
Senator Cynthia Lummis predicted in the autumn that the crypto framework law would reach Trump’s desk by New Year’s Eve. As the year 2025 drew to a close, this seemed less likely.
On Dec. 19, the White House’s crypto and AI czar, David Sacks, said that, after a meeting with top senators working on CLARITY, there would be a markup session in January.

However, the planned markup session in the Senate Banking Committee was postponed amid substantive disagreements about the bill from the crypto industry lobby and the banking industry.
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said they couldn’t support the bill due to its provisions banning interest-bearing stablecoins, as well as positioning the SEC as the main crypto industry regulator.
The move reportedly infuriated the White House, which was eager to complete work on the framework law.
Other financial bigwigs like David Solomon, CEO of Goldman Sachs, agreed with Armstrong, saying that the bill “has a long way to go.”
Work on the law did not stop completely. The Senate Agriculture Committee announced that it would have its own markup session on Jan. 27. Committee Democrats attempted to make amendments to the bill, including an ethics provision banning Congress from trading crypto, as well as ruling out any possibility of the government bailing out crypto.
These votes failed along party lines, and the Republican majority advanced the bill to the Senate floor.
February 2026: High-level talks at the White House, political maneuvers
Crypto industry executives, lawmakers and bankers are now meeting frequently at the White House and in the halls of Congress to figure out a solution to their differences. The Digital Chamber of Commerce said that a meeting on Feb. 3 focused on stable coin yields.

These talks have continued. On Tuesday, more executives, including Ripple chief legal officer Stuart Alderoty, met for what was a “productive session.”
“Clear, bipartisan momentum remains behind sensible crypto market structure legislation. We should move now — while the window is still open,” he said.
Still, there’s been no deal. Delays have reportedly led to nearly $1 billion in outflows from the crypto market, according to data from CoinShares. Some observers believe that the delays are ultimately good in the long run, as it gives the industry a chance to bargain for more favorable terms.
Market analyst Michaël van de Poppe said, “I think if the bill were approved in its current form, it would have had a very bad impact on the markets in general. So, now, all the parties are aligned to continue the discussion. It reminds me a lot of the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulations in Europe.”
Many are eager to seal the deal before the midterm elections. The crypto lobby has been building its political machine through donations to political action committees (PACs). Both Republican and Democratic members of Congress are reportedly eager to pass something favorable before the 2026 campaign cycle begins and crypto PACs decide who to support.
Crypto’s strong support in the Republican Party could also prove a liability as the party loses popularity. Midterm elections historically go against the sitting president’s party, and in one year, the crypto lobby could be stuck with a lame-duck president and lukewarm support among a Democrat majority.
The success of CLARITY could end up being a race against the clock.
#bullishleo

#StandardChartered slashed its #cryptocurrency price targets, warning $BTC could slide toward $50,000 and $ETH near $1,400 in the coming months before a projected rebound, signaling mounting pressure across digital assets despite a resilient long-term outlook. #StandardChartered lowered its digital asset price forecasts across major #cryptocurrencies signaling further downside before a potential rebound. The banking giant released research cutting targets for several #crypto tokens — including BTC and $SOL — reflecting expectations of near-term capitulation across the broader asset class.

As of February 17, 2026 (around 10 PM PKT), global financial markets show a mixed and somewhat cautious picture, with recent volatility in major indices driven by sector rotations, lingering AI-related concerns, and broader economic signals.
US Stock Market
The US markets have experienced choppy trading in February so far. After a positive start to the year in January (S&P 500 up ~1.3-1.5%), momentum has faded:
- Recent weeks saw consecutive losses, with the S&P 500 and Dow each down over 1% in the prior week, and the Nasdaq dropping more than 2% (its longest losing streak since 2022).
- Tech-heavy sectors (especially software and some AI-related names) faced pressure from disruption fears, while there’s evidence of rotation toward value stocks, small-caps, energy, and more "real economy" areas.
- On recent sessions (mid-February), the S&P 500 hovered around 6,800–6,900 levels, often little changed or slightly down on lighter-volume days (e.g., post-holiday trading).
- Broader sentiment includes higher expected volatility this month (seasonal VIX tendency to rise), but some optimism around manufacturing expansion and undiscovered small-cap opportunities.
Overall, the market appears to be broadening beyond mega-cap tech dominance (e.g., the "Magnificent 7" losing some leadership), with value and cyclical sectors gaining relative strength.
Cryptocurrency Market
Crypto has seen significant weakness in February 2026:
- Bitcoin (BTC) has been volatile, dropping sharply early in the month (down ~19-20% at points, trading in the mid-$60,000s after hitting lows near $60,000).
- It recovered temporarily toward $70,000+ but has struggled to hold gains, hovering around $66,000–$68,000 recently amid fading momentum.
- Market sentiment has turned sharply negative (e.g., greed/fear indices at extreme lows), with on-chain data and deleveraging suggesting potential further downside risks before stabilization.
- Broader crypto trends reflect profit-taking after strong prior performance, with reduced panic but ongoing pressure.
Other Notable Trends
- Gold has seen massive inflows (record levels to ETFs in January), reflecting hedging against uncertainty, fiscal concerns, and geopolitical risks.
- Global equities show steady but volatile conditions, with some positive outlooks on liquidity and growth, though trade policy shifts and tariffs add uncertainty.
- Defensive areas (e.g., utilities) have outperformed in recent sessions, while tech and growth stocks lag.
Markets remain sensitive to upcoming data (e.g., earnings from big tech, economic releases like GDP/PCE/PMIs). This is a snapshot based on the latest available reports—conditions can shift quickly with new developments. If you're focused on a specific asset class, region, or sector (e.g., Pakistan/Karachi Stock Exchange, commodities, or forex), let me know for more targeted details!
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When I first started learning about cryptocurrency, I thought it was something very technical and only for computer experts. But after I researched on it and spent time understanding it in simple words, I realized it is not that complicated. It is just a new form of money that exists online instead of in your pocket.

Cryptocurrency is digital money. You cannot touch it like cash, and you cannot keep it in a physical wallet. It lives on the internet. But just like the money in your bank account, it has value. You can send it to someone, receive it from someone, use it to buy things, or keep it as savings.

What makes cryptocurrency different is that it does not depend on banks. In normal banking, if you send money to someone, a bank checks the transaction and approves it. With crypto, there is no central bank in control. Instead, a network of computers around the world checks and confirms transactions. This system is called blockchain.

In my search, I start to know about blockchain as a digital record book. Imagine a notebook where every transaction is written down. This notebook is shared with thousands of computers. Every time someone sends or receives cryptocurrency, a new record is added. Once the information is written, it cannot be changed easily. That is why people say blockchain is transparent and secure.

The first cryptocurrency was Bitcoin. It was created in 2009 by a person or group using the name Satoshi Nakamoto. After Bitcoin, many other cryptocurrencies were created. Some of the most popular ones today are Bitcoin, Ethereum, BNB, USDT, and Solana. They all work in a similar way but have different purposes and features.

When I first heard about crypto wallets, I thought the coins are stored inside the wallet like cash. But that is not exactly true. The coins are recorded on the blockchain. The wallet only gives you access to your coins. It works using special codes called private keys. If you have the private key, you have control over your crypto. That is why keeping your private key safe is very important.

Cryptography is another important part of cryptocurrency. It is a type of advanced security method that protects transactions. When you send crypto, your wallet creates a digital signature using your private key. The network checks this signature. If everything is correct, the transaction is approved and added to the blockchain.

One thing I noticed about crypto is that it works all the time. Banks close on weekends or holidays, but cryptocurrency networks run 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can send money to someone in another country within minutes. You do not need to wait for bank approval or pay high transfer fees in many cases.

Another interesting point is limited supply. For example, Bitcoin has a maximum supply of 21 million coins. That means no more than 21 million Bitcoin will ever exist. Because of this limited supply, many people see it as digital gold. They believe it can hold value over time.

People often talk about crypto market cap. In simple words, market cap shows how big a cryptocurrency is compared to others. It is calculated by multiplying the current price of a coin by the number of coins available in the market. A higher market cap usually means the project is more established and trusted, while a lower one may mean it is newer or more risky.

Over time, cryptocurrencies have become more than just digital money. I have seen how they are used in many areas like online finance, gaming, digital art, and even artificial intelligence. On platforms like Ethereum, developers can build applications that run without a central company controlling them. These are called decentralized applications.

But I also learned that investing in crypto is not risk free. Prices can go up very fast, and they can also fall very quickly. That is why people say do your own research. Before putting money into any project, it is important to understand how it works, who created it, and what problem it is trying to solve.

There are also scams in the crypto world. Because everything happens online, some people try to trick others with fake projects or fake promises. So it is important to use trusted exchanges, keep your passwords safe, and never share your private keys with anyone.

I have noticed that some people believe cryptocurrency will replace traditional banks in the future. Others believe it will work alongside banks. No one knows exactly what will happen, but one thing is clear. Cryptocurrency has already changed the way we think about money. It has shown that we can send value across the world without needing a middleman.

In simple words, cryptocurrency is digital money powered by blockchain technology. It is secure because of cryptography, open to everyone with internet access, and not controlled by a single authority. It can be used for payments, savings, investing, and building new types of online services.

When I start to know about cryptocurrency, it felt confusing. But once I understood the basic idea, I saw that it is simply a new system of handling money in a digital world. As technology keeps growing, cryptocurrency will have an even bigger role in our daily lives.

#Cryptocurrency #BlockchainTechnology #DigitalMoney