U.S. lawmakers and the White House appear to be edging toward a political agreement on how stablecoin yields fit into the forthcoming crypto market-structure framework, potentially reviving momentum for the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025, commonly known as the CLARITY Act. Politico reported that an “agreement in principle” has been reached between Republican Senator Thom Tillis and Democratic Senator Angela Alsobrooks, both members of the Senate Banking Committee, signaling a potential path forward for the stalled bill.

While specifics remain sparse, Alsobrooks said the arrangement would aim to protect financial innovation while curbing the risk of widespread deposit flight. In particular, she noted that the deal contemplates prohibiting stablecoin yield on “passive balances,” a key constraint designed to limit how much yield can be earned on funds that aren’t actively deployed in productive channels. This balance—fostering innovation while addressing stability concerns—is central to the ongoing negotiations, according to the report.

Details of the prospective agreement have not yet been disclosed publicly, and Tillis indicated that the crypto industry should vet the language before it is finalized. Cointelegraph reached out to the White House for comment on the prospective deal, but no response was provided by publication time.

As this week unfolded, broader momentum around crypto regulation also resurfaced in remarks from lawmakers sympathetic to a comprehensive framework. Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis, a veteran advocate for digital-asset policy, told attendees at the DC Blockchain Summit that lawmakers are “so close” to passing a comprehensive regulatory framework. A Lummis spokesperson later indicated that a deal could materialize in the near term and that ethics language within the bill remains a focus for refinement.

The CLARITY Act, which envisions a clearer set of rules for digital assets and market structure, has long been viewed as a critical piece of policy parity following the GENIUS stablecoin framework’s enactment. Initially expected to glide through Congress, the bill slowed in January after major industry players, including Coinbase, voiced concerns about whether stablecoin issuers could share yields with token holders. Those objections underscored ongoing tensions between innovation incentives and consumer protection in a rapidly evolving sector.

For context, the broader regulatory conversation around crypto in the United States is inseparable from evolving views on stablecoins and their economics. The GENIUS framework, signed into law earlier, signaled a shift toward formalizing oversight, yet it also raised questions about how yield-bearing instruments would operate within a regulated ecosystem. The CLARITY Act’s fate hinges on resolving those questions—especially around yield, custody, and who ultimately benefits from crypto’s growth.

Key takeaways

• Agreement in principle reportedly reached between White House-adjacent lawmakers on the CLARITY Act, suggesting renewed momentum for market-structure reform.
• Core sticking point under discussion: whether stablecoin yield may be allowed on passive balances, with a proposed prohibition designed to prevent deposit flight and systemic risk.
• Industry insiders stress the need for vetting the language, as details are not yet public and could shift before formal introduction.
• Senator Cynthia Lummis’s comments reinforce optimism for a comprehensive regulatory framework, with ethics language under active negotiation.
• Banks argue that yield-bearing stablecoins threaten their market share and deposit stability, while White House aides have argued that the concerns may be overstated and could unleash capital into a regulated environment.

The path forward: what changes could mean for markets and users

The potential revival of CLARITY Act discussions carries significant implications for investors, issuers, and users across the crypto ecosystem. If lawmakers settle on a framework that permits regulated stablecoins but confines yield on passive balances, the industry could gain clearer guardrails for product design and risk management. For issuers, a well-defined regime would reduce uncertainty around how they structure yields, custody, and on-chain mechanics, potentially accelerating product development and partnerships with compliant financial institutions.

From an investor perspective, clearer rules could translate into a more predictable regulatory backdrop, which historically has been a driver of institutional participation. Yet the tension between innovation and stability remains palpable. Bankers have argued that even well-regulated stablecoins could siphon deposits away from traditional banks, a concern echoed by industry observers who emphasize the necessity of preserving financial stability while enabling responsible crypto innovation.

Patrick Witt, executive director of the White House Council for Digital Asset Policy, has framed these concerns as manageable within a robust framework. He told reporters that stabilization of the regulatory environment could attract fresh capital into the banking system if dollar-denominated stablecoins are legalized and properly overseen. The argument underscores a broader point: crypto’s growth could be compatible with, rather than a substitute for, traditional finance—so long as the rules incentivize prudent risk management and guardrails against misalignment between yields and liquidity.

The evolving dialogue also reflects a larger strategic dynamic: policymakers are trying to strike a balance between attracting innovation to the United States and preventing misalignment that could destabilize financial markets. As the process unfolds, the next milestones will likely hinge on the release of formal draft language, the incorporation of ethics provisions, and a final industry vetting period. The absence of a public response from the White House in this round reinforces how fluid the situation remains, with lawmakers and regulators aiming to map a path that satisfies both innovation advocates and traditional financial incumbents.

For readers tracking the regulatory arc, the CLARITY Act sits at the intersection of policy clarity and practical product design. It is not just about whether stablecoins can yield returns, but about who controls those returns, how they are distributed, and how risk is managed across on-chain and off-chain rails. The current negotiations suggest a greater willingness to align on principles—openness to innovation paired with guardrails to guard investors and the broader financial system.

As always, the market will respond to fresh details. Investors and builders should watch for the publication of the draft language, the contours of any ethics and governance provisions, and how banks and non-bank financial intermediaries are integrated into the new regime. The next days could reveal a more concrete timetable for CLARITY Act passage, or reveal additional frictions that delay a final vote. In either case, the discussion signals a pivotal moment for crypto governance in the United States.

In its early-phase outreach, Cointelegraph attempted to obtain comment from the White House about the prospective deal but did not receive a response by publication time. As the lobbying and policymaking process continues, observers will be attentive to how this agreement in principle translates into formal language and a concrete legislative path. The stakes are high: a clear, workable framework could unlock a wave of institutional involvement and user-facing crypto products, while also defining the boundaries of what constitutes permissible yield generation in a regulated market.

TLDR

• Chinese EV manufacturer submitted major shelf registration filing for potential future stock issuance
• Shares plummeted more than 6.5% in Thursday trading, erasing portion of recent ~20% surge
• Company achieved historic first quarterly GAAP operating profit of $40.4 million announced March 10
• Fourth-quarter vehicle deliveries reached all-time high of 124,807 units, representing 71.7% annual increase
• Cash reserves declined to $1.61 billion while current liabilities surpass current assets

Shares of NIO Inc. tumbled over 6.5% during Thursday’s session following the Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer’s submission of a shelf registration filing that opens the door for potential future equity issuance. The regulatory document spooked investors who had recently enjoyed substantial gains, with share dilution anxieties rapidly dominating market sentiment.

NIO Inc., NIO

The shelf registration emerged mere days after NIO announced a historic operational achievement: the company’s inaugural quarterly GAAP operating profit. The automaker posted net income of $40.4 million during Q4 2025, accompanied by record-setting deliveries totaling 124,807 vehicles — marking a substantial 71.7% increase compared to the prior year period. Investment bank HSBC reacted by elevating the stock to a Buy rating and raising their price target by 42%. Shares surged approximately 20% in subsequent trading sessions.

That momentum has now evaporated. While the shelf registration didn’t announce an immediate equity offering, the mere possibility of future share dilution proved sufficient to trigger a wave of selling.

The situation presents a notable contradiction, as NIO’s operational performance has demonstrated considerable strength. The manufacturer celebrated delivering its 80,000th unit of the third-generation ES8 SUV and crossed the 550,000-unit threshold for cumulative in-house semiconductor production. Both its Shenji NX9031 processor and Yangjian chip are currently in production, representing critical components of the company’s strategy toward proprietary autonomous driving capabilities.

Financial Position Raises Ongoing Questions

Notwithstanding the profitability breakthrough, NIO’s balance sheet continues to display warning signals. Cash and cash equivalents decreased to $1.61 billion, while current liabilities have now surpassed current assets — a financial position that makes any discussion of potential share issuance appear more necessary than procedural.

The company’s subsidiary brands haven’t yet contributed meaningful volume. Firefly recorded merely 2,657 deliveries during February. Onvo is demonstrating gradual momentum growth, though progress remains measured.

From a broader market perspective, NIO confronts possible challenges from 100% U.S. import duties and European Union protectionist policies, although the automaker qualifies for China’s RMB 62.5 billion trade-in subsidy initiative for 2026, which could deliver substantial domestic support.

What Analysts Are Saying

Market observers at Traders Union express divergent perspectives. One group views the bullish technical formation as maintained above critical moving averages, citing semiconductor production expansion and subsidy program eligibility as justification for positive outlook. The opposing view highlights ongoing selling momentum and cautions that a breach below the $5.31 support threshold could trigger increased downside vulnerability.

NIO’s Q1 2026 projections anticipate deliveries between 80,000 and 83,000 units alongside revenue ranging from $3.5 billion to $3.6 billion — representing growth if realized, though representing a deceleration from Q4’s record performance.

Shares maintain approximately 12% gains over the trailing month, yet remain more than 80% below their historical peak. A single profitable quarter hasn’t eliminated years of accumulated losses, and a single shelf registration filing proved adequate to remind market participants of that reality.

NIO traded near $5.50 during Thursday’s session, hovering just above the critical $5.50 threshold that market participants are closely monitoring.

Kaspa price shot up to a seven-week high of $0.041 on Thursday before settling at $0.037 at press time. It has now confirmed a breakout from a multi-year falling wedge pattern, which could spur more gains ahead.

According to data from crypto.news, Kaspa (KAS) rallied to a seven-week high of $0.037 on March 19. Trading at $0.037 at press time, the token is up nearly 42% from its year-to-date low.

Technicals suggest that the token could still jump at least another 50% before hitting exhaustion.

On the daily chart, Kaspa price has broken out of a multi-year falling wedge pattern formed of two descending and converging trendlines. Typically, when an asset breaks out from the upper side of the pattern, it sees strong upside over the following days.

In Kaspa’s case, the upside scenario is further reinforced by bullish signals from technical indicators. The Supertrend, a tool used to measure market trend direction and volatility, flashed a green signal as the price moved above the key overhead trendline. 

Additionally, the Aroon indicator shows the Aroon Up at 92.86% while the Aroon Down was at 14.29%, suggesting that a powerful new uptrend is currently in control.

For now, the immediate resistance for Kaspa lies at $0.038, the 23.6% Fibonacci retracement level drawn from the May 12 high of $0.13 last year to the Oct. 10 low of $0.0090.

A decisive breakout from here with strong volume can push its price to $0.056, which aligns with the next Fibonacci retracement level and lies nearly 51% above the current price.

The bullish outlook for Kaspa could gain further support from rising exchange outflows, as investors have begun moving their holdings off exchanges. Per data from CoinGlass, nearly $1.8 million worth of Kaspa has left exchanges recently.

Such a sudden spike in outflows means that investors are likely withdrawing Kaspa to self-custody wallets, potentially due to expectations of significant future price appreciation. This often leads other market participants to follow suit and further reduces the available sell-side liquidity.

World Liberty Financial (WLFI) on Thursday released the AgentPay SDK, an open-source toolkit that enables AI agents to autonomously hold, send, and receive funds across Ethereum-compatible blockchains.

Transactions are settled in USD1, WLFI’s dollar-pegged stablecoin, which currently has roughly $4.4 billion in circulation, according to DefiLlama.

How It Works

AgentPay’s architecture spans four layers: a command-line interface, a local signing daemon, a policy engine, and a skill pack for integration with agent hosts. According to WLFI’s documentation, private keys are generated and stored on the operator’s machine, and all transaction signing occurs locally — the SDK sends no data to WLFI or any third party.

When a transaction exceeds preset thresholds, the SDK pauses it and requires human approval before proceeding. If a wallet lacks sufficient funds, the system halts the operation and returns an error including the wallet address, chain ID, and a QR code for replenishment.

The kit plugs directly into coding-agent hosts, such as Claude Code, Codex, and OpenClaw, according to the project’s documentation. It also includes a built-in Bitrefill integration that allows agents to purchase gift cards and mobile top-ups with USD1.

This article was written with the assistance of AI workflows. All our stories are curated, edited and fact-checked by a human.

Investors sue Gemini, alleging its IPO hid plans to abandon core crypto trading for a prediction market pivot, after shares crashed and layoffs followed.

In February 2026, just months after going public, Gemini announced a sweeping 25% reduction in its workforce. Around the same time, the exchange confirmed it was pulling out of several key international markets, exiting operations in the United Kingdom, the European Union, and Australia. The company has also seen significant leadership turnover, with its Chief Financial Officer Dan Chen, Chief Operating Officer Marshall Beard, and Chief Legal Officer Tyler Meade all departing in recent months.

The lawsuit argues that these events were not isolated incidents but rather the predictable consequence of a strategic direction the company had already decided upon before its IPO — one it chose not to share with investors.

The Winklevoss brothers, who founded Gemini in 2014 and have long positioned the exchange as a compliance-first, institutionally focused platform, have not yet issued a public response to the litigation. The suit names other unnamed executives alongside the founders.

The case arrives at a delicate moment for crypto exchanges more broadly. With regulatory scrutiny intensifying across the U.S. and global markets, the pressure on publicly listed crypto firms to meet the same disclosure standards as traditional financial institutions has never been higher. For Gemini, which built much of its brand identity around regulatory cooperation and trustworthiness, the allegations of investor deception carry particular reputational weight.

The outcome of the lawsuit could have broader implications for how crypto companies structure and disclose their business strategies ahead of public offerings — and may prompt closer regulatory examination of IPO documents across the industry.

A bitcoin whale wallet dormant since 2012 has moved 2,100 BTC worth $147 million after 13.7 years, stoking debate over lost coins, whale psychology, and market risk.

A Bitcoin (BTC) address that had sat completely untouched for nearly 14 years was activated on March 20, 2026, sending shockwaves through the on-chain analytics community. The wallet, which had been dormant since 2012, held 2,100 BTC — worth approximately $147 million at current prices. When the coins were last moved, they were valued at just $13,685 in total.

The movement was flagged by Whale Alert, a blockchain tracking service that monitors large and unusual cryptocurrency transfers. The activation of wallets this old is an exceptionally rare event and typically draws intense scrutiny from analysts, traders, and the broader crypto community — both for what it signals about early adopter behavior and for the potential market impact of such a large, sudden transfer.

The 2,100 BTC tranche represents a staggering return. At the 2012 price implied by the $13,685 valuation, Bitcoin was trading at roughly $6.50 per coin. With BTC now hovering around $69,700, the holder is sitting on a return of more than 10,000x — one of the most extraordinary wealth preservation stories the asset class has produced.

The identity of the wallet’s owner remains unknown, as is standard with pseudonymous Bitcoin addresses. Speculation has already begun as to whether the coins belong to a long-forgotten early miner, a pioneer investor from Bitcoin’s earliest days, or potentially a wallet connected to a now-dormant project or exchange from that era. Some analysts have also raised the question of whether the movement could be linked to estate activity, with heirs or executors accessing wallets belonging to early adopters who have since passed away.

What makes the timing notable is the current market context. Bitcoin has been navigating a period of uncertain momentum, with CoinGlass data flagging over $1.87 billion in leveraged long positions at risk of liquidation if the price falls below $66,827. The sudden reactivation of a wallet of this size naturally raises concerns about potential selling pressure — though a single transfer does not necessarily indicate an intent to sell, as coins may simply be moving to a new custody arrangement or cold storage solution.

Historically, the reactivation of very old Bitcoin wallets has served as a psychological trigger for the market, prompting debate about the long-term conviction of early holders and the nature of Bitcoin’s supply dynamics. With roughly 4 million BTC estimated to be permanently lost and millions more held by long-term holders who have never sold, movements like this are a reminder that Bitcoin’s available supply is far more constrained than its total circulating figure suggests.

Whether these coins ultimately hit the open market or simply settle into new cold storage, the awakening of a 13.7-year dormant whale is a stark illustration of just how long Bitcoin’s history now runs — and how much early wealth remains locked in its blockchain.

Crypto hardware provider Ledger has appointed former Circle executive John Andrews as chief financial officer and opened a New York office as part of its US expansion. Andrews previously led capital markets and investor relations at Circle.

According to Friday’s announcement, the New York office is part of a multi-million-dollar investment in Ledger’s US operations and will create dozens of roles across enterprise and marketing teams. It will serve as a hub for the company’s institutional business, including its Ledger Enterprise platform, which provides custody and governance tools for digital assets.