U.S. Senate Committees Advance Crypto Market Structure Bill with Jan. 15 Markups

The Senate Agriculture and Banking Committees are set to convene on January 15 to mark up a sweeping cryptocurrency market structure bill. The Agriculture Committee, which oversees the CFTC, and the Banking Committee, chaired by Senator Tim Scott, will simultaneously address regulatory clarity for digital assets—a long-standing point of contention in Washington.

The bill aims to resolve jurisdictional ambiguities by classifying cryptocurrencies as either securities or commodities. This distinction will determine whether the SEC or CFTC takes primary oversight responsibility. The MOVE signals progress after months of stalled negotiations and interagency disputes.

Market participants anticipate the outcome could catalyze institutional adoption by establishing clear rules for BTC, ETH, and other major tokens traded on platforms like Coinbase and Binance. The markup sessions represent a critical step toward legitimizing digital assets within U.S. financial markets.