Crypto Is Now (Almost) Regulated

PLUS: U.S. passes 3 major crypto bills, BlackRock pushes ETH staking ETF, XRP breaks 2018 ATH, Top crypto events to look out for and modular blockchains dominate dev trends.

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Cryptopolitan News
July 18, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 12 minutes

🇺🇸 Crypto just got its biggest win in Washington

In a historic moment for the crypto industry, the U.S. House of Representatives passed three major bills on Thursday, giving the space its clearest legal framework yet.

After months of delays, infighting, and last-minute drama, lawmakers finally voted on:

✅ The GENIUS Act (stablecoin rules)

✅ The CLARITY Act (crypto agency oversight)

✅ The Anti-CBDC Act (blocks a U.S. digital dollar without approval)

All three passed with strong support and two are now heading to President Trump’s desk.

What each bill does — and why it matters

1. GENIUS Act
✔️ Passed 308–122
✔️ Already cleared the Senate
✔️ Now heading to Trump

This bill sets clear rules for stablecoins and tells companies how they can legally issue and use them. It’s the most “ready to go” piece of legislation, and crypto firms have been asking for this kind of clarity for years.

Even Democrats and Republicans came together to pass it, including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

2. CLARITY Act
✔️ Passed 294–134
✔️ Defines which agency handles what
✔️ Also heading to Trump

This bill lays out who regulates crypto — the SEC or the CFTC — and how companies need to register and follow U.S. financial rules.

Not everyone agreed. Jeffries voted no, even though he backed GENIUS just minutes earlier.
Rep. Maxine Waters warned the bill could cause instability and “enable corruption” if oversight isn’t tightened.

3. Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act
✔️ Passed separately with strong GOP support
✔️ Blocks the Fed from launching a digital dollar without Congress

This bill is all about stopping a government-controlled digital currency. Lawmakers behind it say they don’t want a system where the government can see or control your spending.

It bans the Federal Reserve from testing or issuing a CBDC and closes any loopholes that might allow it under a different name.

So… is this a done deal?

Almost.

The GENIUS Act and CLARITY Act now move to President Trump, who’s expected to sign both.

But there’s one twist: The White House revealed Trump is dealing with a chronic vein condition, causing some health concerns. So the crypto community still has to do some more waiting.

Not everyone’s celebrating

Senator Elizabeth Warren, a longtime crypto critic, blasted the bills as too soft.

She warned that the laws are full of industry loopholes and lack protections to stop crypto from harming the economy.

These bills don’t do enough to protect regular people, and I’m worried we’re handing the wheel to the crypto lobby.

Senator Elizabeth Warren

But for now? It’s a big moment.

This is the first real crypto regulation package passed by Congress and it covers everything from stablecoins to oversight to digital dollars.

Crypto investor David Sacks called it “a massive win,” and even regulators like SEC Chair Paul Atkins said the rules would lower risk, speed up payments, and finally give the U.S. a chance to lead in blockchain tech.

The U.S. just put crypto on the map, now it’s time to see what happens next.

President Donald Trump is expected to loosen regulations around artificial intelligence as he announces policy guidelines for the sector. He is also expected to call for expanding energy sources for data centers.

📈 Market Watch

Ethereum just got another boost from Wall Street’s biggest player.

BlackRock has officially filed with the SEC to enable staking for its spot Ether ETF, a move that could reshape how crypto ETFs work in the U.S.

If approved, it means BlackRock could start earning rewards from staked ETH held inside its ETF, offering more returns to investors and potentially reducing pressure to sell ETH on the open market.

Why this is a big deal

  • BlackRock’s ETF application success rate: over 500 approvals with just one rejection

  • ETH staking was previously blocked under the Gensler-led SEC

  • The SEC has since dropped staking lawsuits against Coinbase and Kraken

  • BlackRock’s ETH ETF (ETHA) could now join others in generating passive income

Other firms, including Fidelity, Grayscale, Franklin Templeton, and 21Shares had already submitted similar requests. But BlackRock’s entry sends a much stronger signal: this could finally get approved.

So… is staking now a sure thing?

Not quite.

Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart says approval is likely but not immediate. He expects a final decision by Q4 2025, even though the deadline for BlackRock’s application is technically in April 2026.

The bigger hurdle now may come from the IRS, not the SEC. Tax rules around staking rewards still create uncertainty for ETF products.

ETH price is reflecting the momentum

BlackRock’s filing likely added fuel to ETH’s rally, with ETH up nearly 4% on the day of the news.

  • 30-day gain: 38.5%

  • 7-day gain: 21.1%

  • YTD: Finally positive

The timing couldn’t be better. With Bitcoin cooling, ETH is now leading altcoin momentum along with XRP, SOL, and BNB, all posting green candles.

The numbers say it all

ETH ETFs have now pulled in over $5.5 billion in inflows. A staggering $3.3 billion of that came just since April.

While still smaller than Bitcoin’s $18B inflows, it shows that institutional confidence in ETH is growing fast and will only increase if staking is approved.

SharpLink Gaming (SBET) and Bitmine Immersion Technologies (BMNR) are competing for the top spot with ETH treasuries above $1B.

⛓️ Protocol Watch

XRP just did something it hasn’t done in over six years: it hit a new high.

On Thursday, the token surged to $3.40, matching its previous all-time high from 2018. That marked a 10% gain in 24 hours and a 35% rally over the past week, making XRP one of the top performers in the market right now.

Its market cap now stands at $192 billion, pushing it back into the spotlight as a serious contender.

What’s driving this breakout?

One reason is sheer conviction.

A whale just opened a $15 million long position on Hyperliquid, betting big on more upside. Trading platforms now show XRP has the highest long-short ratio among top coins meaning most traders are betting on price going higher.

But that also brings risk. Too much leverage could flip into a sharp drop if the market turns. So far, though, sentiment remains firmly bullish.

This isn’t just another pump — it’s institutional

What makes this rally different is who's buying.

  • VivoPower, a clean energy company, and Webus, a ride-hailing app, have both added XRP to their corporate treasuries

  • These aren’t just paper buys they’re balance-sheet moves, showing confidence in XRP as a stable long-term asset

  • ETF products are gaining steam too

Teucrium’s leveraged XRP ETF has pulled in more funds than all of its traditional commodity ETFs combined. The ETF’s price jumped from $24 to $48.20 in July, up over 50%.

The ETF push keeps growing

ProShares is now launching three XRP funds each tied to derivatives and futures. This gives institutional and retail investors new tools to gain exposure to XRP without needing to hold it directly.

That kind of access is what made Bitcoin and Ethereum explode in past cycles. Now it might be XRP’s turn.

The company will diversify its crypto portfolio to include Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Ripple (XRP), Stablecoin (USDC), Solana(SOL), Dogecoin (DOGE), and Litecoin (LTC).

🗓️ Events Watch

Here are the upcoming global events you don’t want to miss:

  1. FrontierTechX London 2025
    📍 London, UK | 📅 Jul 22, 2025
    Where builders meet capital — a one-day summit connecting innovation with investors in the heart of London.

  2. MY Blockchain Week
    📍 Kuala Lumpur | 📅 Jul 21–22, 2025
    Malaysia’s biggest government-supported crypto event is debuting with speakers, builders, and policy shapers.

  3. Ethereum 10Y Anniversary
    📍 Zug, Switzerland | 📅 Jul 30, 2025
    🔍 Ethereum • Community • Builders
    Celebrate 10 years of Ethereum with pioneers and believers where it all began.

👉 Want more? Browse & register for more events

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18th July

On July 18, 2016, Bitfinex, one of the largest crypto exchanges at the time, disclosed it had suffered a major security breach—losing 119,756 BTC (worth over $70M then, $7B+ today).

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