lawmakers

The FBI submitted data disclosure to the legislative committee, revealing that losses related to cryptocurrency kiosks in Texas amounted to $56.8 million in 2025, involving 1,179 complaints, making it the highest loss among all states in the U.S. The total number of related complaints nationwide was 13,460, with reported losses increasing by 58% year-on-year to $389 million. Cryptocurrency kiosks can accept cash and exchange it for cryptocurrency, typically set up at gas stations and convenience stores.Statistics from the Texas Tribune show that there are about 4,000 such devices in Texas, where scammers induce victims to withdraw money from their bank accounts and deposit it into the machines. Jesse Saucillo, Deputy Commissioner of the Texas Department of Banking, stated that once funds are transferred out, recovering them is nearly impossible, as the money typically flows into unhosted wallets and then into mixers. He added that AI-generated police and state agency impersonation content makes phone inducements more deceptive.Data from AARP indicates that since 2023, approximately 30 states in the U.S. have enacted laws related to cryptocurrency kiosks. Indiana fully banned such devices in March, followed by Tennessee and Minnesota. Texas House Committee Chairman Rep. Cole Hefner stated that the state will consider measures beyond regulatory scope.

U.S. Congressman Ritchie Torres has requested the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to investigate whether the upcoming Truth API from Truth Social's parent company Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) violates federal securities laws, and to assess whether it involves issues such as market manipulation, investor protection, and conflicts of interest.According to previous reports, the Truth API will launch on August 1, providing paying customers with real-time data access to public posts from popular Truth Social accounts, with authorization fees reaching up to $100,000 per month.

Several individuals familiar with the discussions on the "Digital Asset Market Structure Act" have stated that U.S. lawmakers plan to release an updated version of the cryptocurrency market structure bill this week. The new text combines the provisions previously approved by the U.S. Senate Banking Committee and the Agriculture Committee, and was negotiated by the two committees on multiple terms.

According to Cointelegraph, the New Hampshire Business Finance Authority (BFA) is scheduled to hold a public hearing on Wednesday regarding the issuance of $100 million in Bitcoin-backed bonds. The plan was approved by the BFA in November 2025 and requires final approval from the governor and a five-member executive council.The bonds are secured by collateral from the private borrower CleanSpark, with no recourse to state funds or taxpayers. Moody's assigned a preliminary rating of Ba2 (speculative grade) to the bonds in March. New Hampshire is the first state to pass a strategic Bitcoin reserve law, allowing 5% of public funds to be invested in digital assets.

According to Decrypt, UK Labour MP Phil Brickell has requested the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards to investigate Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, examining whether he engaged in improper lobbying regarding the Bank of England's cryptocurrency policy after receiving significant financial support from Tether's major investor Christopher Harborne.Reports indicate that Farage privately met with Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey in September 2025, where he advocated for abandoning the launch of the central bank digital currency "Britcoin" and opposed limits on individual holdings of stablecoins.Christopher Harborne is alleged to hold approximately 12% of Tether's equity and previously provided Farage with an undisclosed personal gift of £5 million, as well as donating around £15 million to Reform UK.

According to the Wall Street Journal, several U.S. lawmakers are calling for an investigation into the prediction market platform Polymarket, as its advertising is alleged to potentially contain misleading content.It is reported that the lawmakers believe Polymarket may not clearly disclose the nature of its products and associated risks in its marketing, which could mislead users. Some legislators have requested regulatory agencies to intervene and assess the compliance of its advertising and information disclosure standards.

According to Cointelegraph, South Korean police recently raided the cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb to investigate independent lawmaker Kim Byung-gi for allegedly using his influence to secure a job for his son. It is reported that Kim's son joined Bithumb in January 2025 and worked for about six months. The police are investigating whether there was any external pressure or special treatment during his hiring process.Additionally, the case also involves Dunamu, the operator of South Korea's largest cryptocurrency exchange Upbit, with the investigation scope expanding from simple recruitment issues to potential power rent-seeking and interest transfer. Investigators pointed out that while serving as a member of the South Korean National Assembly's Administrative Committee, Kim Byung-gi had repeatedly questioned Dunamu during meetings, raising suspicions about whether he was trying to benefit the company where his son worked.It is understood that the police had previously questioned executives from multiple cryptocurrency companies and had conducted searches at Bithumb's headquarters and Bithumb Financial Tower to gather evidence. Kim Byung-gi himself is under investigation for 13 charges, including employment arrangements, bribery for nominations, and requests related to university transfers, and he stated that he believes he will ultimately be able to prove his innocence.It is worth noting that Bithumb has recently faced ongoing regulatory pressure. In March of this year, South Korea's financial regulatory agency imposed a fine of approximately $24.5 million on Bithumb for KYC and anti-money laundering (AML) violations and issued a six-month partial business suspension order. However, a South Korean court temporarily suspended the enforcement of the penalty at the end of April, and the relevant legal procedures are still ongoing.

According to Bitcoin News, U.S. Congressman Nick Begich has introduced the "U.S. Reserve Modernization Act," which already has 16 original co-sponsors. The bill will establish a strategic Bitcoin reserve, integrate federally held digital assets, and lock them in as long-term reserve assets for at least 20 years.The bill also explores budget-neutral Bitcoin acquisition strategies while protecting the reserves from future government and congressional liquidation efforts. The media commented that the strategic Bitcoin reserve established by Trump through an executive order will be formally enshrined in law by the "U.S. Reserve Modernization Act."

According to CoinDesk, bipartisan lawmakers Steven Horsford, Max Miller, Suzan DelBene, and Mike Carey jointly reintroduced the "Digital Asset Protection, Accountability, Regulatory, Innovation, Taxation, and Revenue Act" (also known as the "Equality Act") this Wednesday. The new version of the bill mainly covers the following points: first, it stipulates that regulated payment stablecoins do not generate gains or losses if the cost basis is not less than 99% of the redemption value; second, it establishes a safe harbor for broker-dealer transactions or taxpayer account transactions; third, it clarifies that "wash sale" rules apply to digital assets; fourth, it requires the IRS to assess the current tax burden of small cryptocurrency transactions and to study the feasibility of establishing a tax exemption for transactions under $200 and the potential risks of abuse.The cryptocurrency industry has long advocated for tax exemptions on small transactions to promote the use of cryptocurrencies in everyday payment scenarios. Lawmaker Horsford stated that tax policy is the foundation of the cryptocurrency regulatory framework, and that current tax laws have not clearly addressed many core issues related to digital assets.

According to Cointelegraph, U.S. Republican lawmakers are calling for a permanent ban on central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) in the upcoming vote on the "21st Century Housing Act" in the House of Representatives. Congressman Mike Flood stated that the House's revised bill aims to overturn the "implicit green light" for CBDCs, making the ban permanent. If the bill passes the House, it will return to the Senate for possible further revisions. Congressman Warren Davidson supports the permanent ban and believes that the 2030 expiration date effectively gives CBDCs a pre-launch development period. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer is also promoting his "Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act," which passed the House last July but has not yet been approved by the Senate. Emmer warned that if the U.S. adopts a CBDC, privacy and economic freedom will cease to exist.

According to crypto journalist Eleanor Terrett, on the eve of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee's review of the "Clarity Act," committee members submitted over 100 amendments last night. The DeFi advocacy organization @fund_defi characterized some of these amendments as "anti-DeFi amendments," believing they would harm the rights of DeFi technology, users, and developers, and called on supporters to urgently lobby senators to oppose them.It is reported that the aforementioned amendments were jointly proposed by Democratic senators Cortez Masto, Andy Kim, Chris Van Hollen, Warren, and Jack Reed, targeting the core DeFi protection provisions in the bill, including the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act (BRCA), non-controlling software developer protections, DeFi front-end protections, tokenization provisions, and proposed expansions of BSA/AML compliance obligations for developers and digital asset businesses.

Kevin Warsh stated at the Senate hearing that digital assets "have become a part of the U.S. financial system" and supports their inclusion in the financial system to provide more opportunities and protections for investors.This statement is seen as a signal of a relatively open policy towards the cryptocurrency industry should he become the chairman of the Federal Reserve. Warsh has previously referred to Bitcoin as "an important asset that aids in policy-making." However, Elizabeth Warren expressed concerns during the hearing, mentioning risks such as "shadow accounts" in the crypto space, emphasizing the need for enhanced regulation and prevention of abuse.

According to Decrypt, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (a senior Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee) wrote to SEC Chairman Paul Atkins, stating that he may have "deliberately misled" Congress regarding the decline in the number of new enforcement actions by the SEC during a hearing, and pointed out that if there are significant false statements made to Congress, it could involve criminal liability.The report cites enforcement data disclosed by the SEC for 2025, stating that the SEC added a total of 456 new enforcement actions last year, of which about 200 were from the previous administration, and approximately 256 were added during the current administration, significantly lower than the average of about 765 per year over the past decade. Warren believes that the sharp decline in enforcement actions, staff reductions, and sudden leadership changes may weaken the SEC's ability to protect investors and maintain market order, and questions whether there is political favoritism and selective enforcement. The SEC declined to comment on this.

According to Edaily, Kim Sang-hoon, the chairman of the Digital Assets Special Committee of the People Power Party of Korea, expressed concerns about the restrictions on equity in cryptocurrency exchanges at an academic conference. He called for the prioritization of advancing the basic law on digital assets related to stablecoins (Phase Two legislation) to avoid getting caught in equity regulatory disputes and missing the golden legislative opportunity.He pointed out that the reality of the issuance and circulation of the Korean won stablecoin KRWQ has emerged overseas, posing a severe challenge to monetary sovereignty. Kim Sang-hoon emphasized that the law should provide market predictability, offer clear guidance for operators, and establish effective safety mechanisms for users.

U.S. Congressman Steven Horsford and Max Miller announced the discussion draft of the "Digital Asset PARITY Act," which aims to promote the development of digital assets and enhance compliance by establishing a unified tax framework.The draft proposes a small tax exemption for regulated dollar stablecoin transactions under $200 to reduce the tax burden in everyday payments; it also allows miners and stakers to defer tax on rewards for up to 5 years. Additionally, the draft plans to extend the rules for false sales and presumed sales to digital assets and introduce tax treatments based on market value, while clarifying the tax rules for digital asset lending and charitable donations. The bill is still in the discussion stage and has not yet been formally submitted to Congress.

According to market news, Coinbase Chief Policy Officer Faryar Shirzad has called on U.S. lawmakers to reform cryptocurrency tax rules, stating that current laws are outdated. Treating crypto assets as "property" results in tax obligations even for paying gas fees or using stablecoins for everyday transactions, requiring users to calculate cost basis, track gains and losses, and report, creating a compliance burden.Coinbase data shows that the volume of tax-related customer service inquiries has increased by 34% compared to the same period last year, and millions of 1099-DA forms are expected to be issued in 2025, many of which involve very small transactions. Shirzad pointed out that over 63% of users have gaps in cost basis records, leading taxpayers to either overpay taxes or be forced to manually verify transactions. He suggested establishing a minimum exemption threshold for small transactions to eliminate the burden of reporting small payments. If tax rules are not adjusted, it may push users and innovation overseas, affecting the U.S. competitiveness in the crypto space.

According to Cointelegraph, Maxine Waters, a senior Democrat on the U.S. House Financial Services Committee, has written to Jeff Schmid, president of the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank, requesting an explanation regarding the approval of a limited-purpose master account for Kraken Financial.Waters has asked the Kansas City Fed to clarify the specific permissions of the Kraken account, the federal services accessible, any additional conditions or restrictions, and the anti-money laundering and consumer protection measures being considered by April 10. Kraken's banking division received the account earlier this month, allowing direct access to the Federal Reserve's core payment system, Fedwire.Waters pointed out that innovations in payments, digital assets, tokenization, and artificial intelligence are rapidly outpacing the existing legal framework, necessitating transparency in access to critical financial infrastructure. According to the crypto advocacy organization Stand With Crypto, Waters is rated as a "strong opponent of cryptocurrency."

U.S. lawmakers have introduced the PREDICT Act, which aims to prohibit the President, members of Congress, and other senior government officials from participating in prediction market trading.The bill was jointly proposed by Adrian Smith and Nikki Budzinski and aims to restrict the use of insider information in prediction activities related to political events or policy outcomes, extending its scope to the spouses and family members of the relevant personnel. The bill also proposes a penalty of 10% of the total contract value for violations, with all profits being forfeited to the U.S. Treasury.

According to The Wall Street Journal, U.S. lawmakers will introduce a bipartisan bill to prohibit entities regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), including U.S. platforms Kalshi and Polymarket, from listing contracts related to sporting events.

According to CoinDesk, negotiations on the CLARITY Act, a U.S. cryptocurrency market structure bill, have been ongoing for several weeks and are currently in a state of "almost reached."Insiders say that the updated legislative text was submitted to the White House for review on Thursday, and Republican members of the Senate Banking Committee held a meeting that day to discuss how to bridge the final gaps. A long-standing dispute over stablecoin yields is nearing compromise, but lawmakers are still discussing what other concessions can be offered to community banks in exchange for their support, which may include provisions related to recent housing legislation. Democrats continue to demand a ban on government officials profiting from personal cryptocurrency interests (mainly targeting Trump) and require the appointment of a Democratic commissioner to fill a vacancy before the CFTC passes new regulations.Senator Lummis stated that the Coinbase CEO has been more flexible in recent negotiations. Meanwhile, the SEC released its first classification definition of crypto assets this week. The SEC chairman stated that only Congress can rewrite the law, but in the meantime, regulators are providing a responsible regulatory path that the market needs.