The U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee released an updated version of the Digital Goods Intermediary Act this Wednesday, January 21, that focuses on: merchandise It complements and competes with the proposed CLARITY Act (Digital Asset Market Transparency Act).
The new initiative aims to give the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) full authority over spot trading in crypto assets such as Bitcoin (BTC), reshaping the regulatory environment amid growing political pressure and presidential commitments.
Republican Sen. John Boozman, chairman of the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, released the document Wednesday night. This document is an evolution of an earlier bipartisan draft, enriched by contributions from a variety of stakeholders. The urgency of this issue is underscored by: Scheduling a markup session (Discussion and correction) January 27th of this year.
In a statement, Boozman acknowledged that differences with his Democratic colleagues remain, but emphasized progress. “While disagreements remain on key policy issues, this bill is based on a bipartisan draft and incorporates stakeholder input. It will take several months of work.”
The focus of this proposal is on the following intermediaries: merchandise digital. Registration is required for Bitcoin and cryptocurrency exchanges, brokers, and other services that manage asset storage, order execution, and margin management.
Notably, the legislative text does not seek to regulate self-custodial wallets or non-custodial decentralized finance (DeFi) interfaces, limiting its scope to organizations that directly manage custody or transactions.
Regulatory competition on two fronts
The arrival of the Digital Commodities Intermediary Act (Agriculture Committee, CFTC jurisdiction) puts it in competition in the Senate with an earlier proposal for the CLARITY Act from the Banking Committee, chaired by Republican Tim Scott.
This initiative addresses values (securities) Under the supervision of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), combined with the Genius Act on stablecoins, protects against broader financial risks.
As reported by CriptoNoticias, the Banking Committee’s markup session was postponed in January following criticism, including the suspension of support announced by Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong. However, perhaps The implementation of the law regulating the U.S. cryptocurrency market is expected to be delayed for at least several weeks.
Leading lawmakers are eyeing potential housing legislation to support President Donald Trump’s efforts to improve housing affordability, according to Bloomberg. As a result, the committee may further delay consideration of the key digital asset law until late February or March.
President Trump’s Davos pledge
There appears to be a moderate chance that the United States will soon introduce a comprehensive regulatory framework for Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, but recent presidential commitments could accelerate the process.
Donald Trump promised to sign the Digital Asset Market Structure Act “soon” in his speech at Davos on January 21, 2026. Positioning the US as the world capital of cryptocurrencies and counter China.
“Congress is currently working hard on the Cryptocurrency Market Structure Act and Bitcoin, and I hope to sign them soon,” President Trump said.
A fast track to approval includes a markup session in a Senate committee in January or February 2026. The Agriculture Committee is scheduled to vote Jan. 27, and the Banking Committee could reschedule its session if it can resolve the dispute.
The bill will then be voted on by the full Senate, reconciled with the House version, and finally sent to the president. With bipartisan support and pressure from figures like Trump, this process could be accelerated and cut from years to just a few months.
By some estimates, this bill It could reach the President’s desk for signature between March and June 2026. If the committee moves forward in January, there is a 50% chance of passing it in the first term, but a delay could extend it to the end of 2026 or even the end of 2027, sources said.
The countdown continues to define the future of cryptocurrency regulation in the world’s largest economy.