Coinbase CEO says crypto will gain regulatory clarity regardless of Senate vote

Regulatory outlook after Senate vote

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong told CNBC that the crypto industry will get regulatory clarity whether the Senate passes the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act on Sept. 15 or not. He said that if the bill passes, it provides legislation; if it does not, the SEC and CFTC are ready to publish new rules shortly after the vote.

Bipartisan support and pending ethics provisions

Armstrong said the bill has broad bipartisan and industry support, with input from law‑enforcement groups, banks and crypto companies. He noted that the main unresolved issue is the ethics provisions for elected officials who hold digital assets. The White House has offered a strong ethics provision, while some Democrats are asking for additional measures such as divestiture.

Agentic payments market

Armstrong highlighted the growing “agentic finance” market, saying that over 90 % of the roughly 165 million agentic payments to date have been processed on Base, the blockchain Coinbase built with the x402 protocol, using the stablecoin USDC. He said this gives Coinbase a leading position in the emerging market.

Bitcoin price outlook

Armstrong reiterated his long‑term view that Bitcoin could reach $400,000 by 2030, calling that target “reasonable” and stating that the market bottom is already in this cycle.

Key points

• Crypto will receive regulatory clarity regardless of the Clarity Act vote.
• The bill enjoys bipartisan support but still negotiates ethics rules for officials.
• Coinbase claims a leading role in agentic payments, with most activity on its Base blockchain.
• Armstrong predicts Bitcoin could hit $400,000 by 2030.

Sources

• CoinDesk