Even though the Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act (FIT21) has received bipartisan support and passed through the House of Representatives, the act is likely to face challenges in the Senate as analysts believe that before the November election, it may not be approved.
FIT21 Unlikely to Pass Senate Before Election
While there is increasing general agreement on the necessity for cryptocurrency regulation, legislators, lawyers, and lobbyists raised concerns at the 2024 Consensus event that due to the opaqueness of FIT21, more fine-tuning is required. Therefore, they forecast that this bill is likely not pass in the Senate before the November polls.
Nonetheless, the passage of the entire FIT21 bill in the House only 18 months after the political backlash resulting from the FTX scandal shows a stark change of heart in Congress with regards to digital assets.
CFTC Commissioner Summer Mersinger pointed out the liabilities of passing and enforcing similar extensive legislation by stating that oftentimes after bill enactment, rule-making can take months or even years. By identifying the time needed for a change of regulation to come into force, Mersinger was able to equate it to the extended time it took for the Dodd-Frank Act to be implemented.
Congressional Support and Regulatory Hurdles
The drive behind FIT21 is derived from formalizing the primary jurisdictional divide between the SEC and CFTC regarding digital assets. However, the Biden administration has presented its concern regarding the possibility of the emergence of some regulatory voids that may threaten market efficiency.
SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce as well spoke about the need for clarity of the legislation as well as criticized the previous actions of the SEC and expressed her welcoming to the enhanced legislative’s engagement in the sphere of cryptocurrencies.
At the same time, the Republican representative Tom Emmer classified cryptocurrencies as non-partisan affairs and called for the establishment of proper regulatory guidance focused on rights instead of restrictions. His speech delivered at Consensus 2024 aligns well with the sentiments shared by other legislators in support of better regulation of cryptocurrencies.
Building a Pro-Crypto Legislative Force
As earlier reported by Coingape, U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis had reaffirmed the strengthening support for cryptocurrency within Congress.
After a series of legislative wins attributed to the promotion of cryptos, Lummis declared the creation of a pro-crypto army in Congress to promote a favorable regulation of the industry.
This development has received some positive responses on social media, specifically among the cryptocurrency enthusiasts who are optimistic of further favorable regulatory frameworks in the future.
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