▶ Friday, Sept. 11: △ US crude oil inventories (1 a.m.) △ UK July GDP (3 p.m.) △ US August consumer price index (CPI) and core CPI (9:30 p.m.) △ US September University of Michigan consumer sentiment index and inflation expectations (11 p.m.)
Lawmakers Urge Blockchain Be Fostered as AI Trust Infrastructure, Not Just Regulated
National Assembly forum on promoting the AI and blockchain industries "Use blockchain to secure trust in AI data" South Korean lawmakers said at a National Assembly forum that blockchain should be fostered as a core industrial technology, not treated solely as a regulatory target, to ensure data trust in the AI era. The Korea Blockchain Industry Promotion Association held a forum on September 11 at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeouido, Seoul, titled "The AI Era: Building Digital Trust Infrastructure and Promoting the Blockchain Industry." Attendees included Democratic Party lawmakers Kim Woo-young and Hwang Jeong-a, along with independent lawmaker Choi Hyuk-jin. The lawmakers said blockchain should be used to manage data provenance, content rights and transaction histories. They also called for an institutional framework to support automated payments by AI agents and protect personal information. "Trust in data is the foundation for AI industry growth" Kim Woo-young of the Democratic Party said South Korea should move beyond regulating virtual assets and also examine how blockchain technology can be applied and integrated with other industries. He said verifying the source of data and content is becoming as important as improving AI performance. Defining accountability for decisions made and transactions executed by AI is also growing more important. He added that regulatory and institutional changes must follow if the technology's potential is to be translated into real business. "Areas such as AI agents' identity and authority, responsibility in automated payment processes, and balancing public ledgers with personal-data protection require new standards," Kim said. "The government and the National Assembly should work together to design a new digital trust framework so field-level demonstration results lead to institutional improvement." Hwang Jeong-a, also of the Democratic Party, said trust in data and content must be established first if the convergence of AI and blockchain is to develop into a new industry. "Blockchain can be used not only to prevent data tampering and track usage history, but also to record rights and automate settlements," Hwang said. "The scope of discussion should expand from virtual assets to AI data trading, protection of content rights, payments by AI agents and real-world assets, or RWA." She added that digital trust infrastructure is needed for technological potential to lead to a practical and sustainable industry. Hwang said she hoped the forum would serve as a starting point for discussions on new industries that could be created by the convergence of AI and blockchain. AI safety and narrowing regional gaps also emerge as tasks Choi said technological development and safety measures should advance in balance, taking into account the possibility that AI could be misused. He added that there should also be more specific discussion of the role blockchain can play in protecting personal information and strengthening security. There were also calls to ensure that investment in digital infrastructure does not widen industrial disparities between the Seoul metropolitan area and other regions. The concern is that regional areas may provide the land and electricity needed for data centers without seeing sufficient benefits in job creation or business attraction. Choi said policymakers should guard against a situation in which regions supply only electricity to data centers without gaining meaningful industrial growth. He said he has proposed a bill that would provide preferential treatment or incentives related to data use when public data centers and related companies set up operations in regional areas. "It should not stop at bringing in a single data center," Choi said. "Related companies and industries should take root in the region together. Even as AI- and blockchain-based digital trust infrastructure is built, industrial policy and data policy should be linked so regional gaps do not widen."
U.S. Senate Sets Sept. 15 Procedural Vote on CLARITY Act, Passage Unclear Amid Ethics Dispute
The U.S. Senate is headed for its first major vote next week on the CLARITY Act, a market-structure bill for digital assets. Republicans have released an amendment, but the bill’s path remains uncertain as disagreements over ethics provisions persist. Crypto in America reported on September 11 that the Senate is scheduled to hold a cloture vote on debate over the CLARITY Act at 2:15 p.m. on September 15. Cloture requires 60 votes. With at least two Republican senators poised to oppose the measure, supporters need at least nine Democratic votes. The central sticking point is the ethics provision. Republican Senator Thom Tillis and Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego proposed a bipartisan compromise in July that would bar federally elected officials and judges from issuing or endorsing digital assets. It would also require them to divest related financial interests or place them in a blind trust. The White House has so far not responded to the proposal, either publicly or privately, the report said. A Republican amendment released recently would refine provisions on decentralized finance, or DeFi, and expand credit unions’ authority to handle digital assets. But it left untouched the ethics provision that has faced pushback from Democrats and some Republicans. A stablecoin compensation provision is another variable. The American Bankers Association and the Independent Community Bankers of America are urging changes, saying that permitting interest-like rewards could drain deposits from community banks and curb their lending capacity. Republican Senators Jerry Moran and Josh Hawley have also indicated they could vote against the bill if the current language stays in place. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, by contrast, wants the Senate to move the bill forward first and continue negotiating the disputed provisions afterward. He warned that failure to advance the legislation could send a negative signal about the U.S.’s competitiveness in digital-asset regulation and its ability to combat crypto-related crime. Even if the bill passes the Senate, more hurdles remain before it can become law this year. The House has canceled voting sessions for the final two weeks of September, and both chambers are set to recess in October. That makes it increasingly likely that House action on the Senate amendment will slip to the lame-duck session in November.
SEC Moves to Let Blockchain Ledgers Serve as Official Securities Ownership Records
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is moving to revise its rules to recognize blockchain ledgers as official records of securities ownership. The change could reshape the tokenized securities market by replacing a structure in which on-chain records and traditional shareholder registers are maintained in parallel. CoinDesk reported on September 10 that the SEC last week unveiled a proposal to update transfer-agent rules that have been in place for about 50 years. If adopted, the changes would allow electronic databases, including blockchain ledgers, to qualify as the “master securityholder file,” the official ledger of securities ownership. In today’s tokenized securities market, it is common to keep blockchain-based token ownership records separate from legally effective shareholder lists. That can lead to ownership disputes if the two sets of records diverge. In bankruptcy or insolvency, the resulting rights issues could become even more complex. Joris Delanoue, chief executive officer of SEC-registered on-chain transfer agent Fairmint, said the master shareholder file was once a paper document and is now maintained as a database. In his view, the proposal recognizes that a blockchain is not just a copy of an existing database, but can itself be the official record. Eli Cohen, chief legal officer at fund-tokenization firm Centrifuge, said the proposal could consolidate the existing dual-ledger structure into a single process. He said the current setup is not only inefficient, but could also create substantial confusion in the event of a bankruptcy or insolvency. Recognition of blockchain as an official ledger would not eliminate existing rules for tokenized securities. Requirements covering investor identity checks, holding eligibility and transfer restrictions would remain in place. The related controls could be built into tokens or smart contracts. The role of transfer agents would also remain intact. Some procedures, including the handling of a shareholder’s death or inheritance, legal notices and mail receipt, would still need to be carried out directly by a transfer agent. Delanoue added that anyone maintaining an official ownership record must have the full functions of a transfer agent. The SEC plans to collect public comments on the proposal for 60 days. The deadline for submissions is set for early November.
Peter Schiff Says Trump Promised $5,000 for Every US Adult if Republicans Win Midterms, Calls It ...
Economist Peter Schiff criticized President Donald Trump, saying Trump had promised $5,000 to every US adult if Republicans win the midterm elections. Cointelegraph reported on September 10 that Schiff characterized the proposal as an attempt to win voters' support. Schiff said Trump had effectively pledged to pay $5,000 to every US adult on the condition that Republicans prevail in the midterms. He described the cash-payment pledge as an attempt to "buy votes."