The Digital Assets Market Clarity Act, or CLARITY Act, is moving in the right direction, despite the growing impatience of the cryptocurrency industry, according to John D'Agostino
"I completely understand why this is taking longer," said John D'Agostino during an interview on CNBC on Friday.
"It's the kind of bill that, frankly, is more fundamental to the growth of cryptocurrencies or any kind of real asset," he said, emphasizing that it makes sense for the process to take some time.
He said that the CLARITY Act is much more complex than the Genius Act, the legislation on stablecoins that became U.S. law in July.
While he acknowledged that the Genius Act "was not simple, but transformative," he said it "addressed structurally simpler issues than the market structure bills."
This comes just weeks after the White House's artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency czar, David Sacks, said that the CLARITY Act could receive the green light in January.
"We are closer than ever to passing the historic legislation on the structure of the cryptocurrency market that President Trump has requested. We hope to finalize it in January," he declared on December 19.
D'Agostino said he is confident that the CLARITY Act will be passed soon, pointing to the growing momentum for cryptocurrency regulation worldwide, including Europe's MiCA regulations and the ongoing progress of the UAE in regulatory clarity.
He also acknowledged the "massive talent drain" from the U.S. to other countries, which can only exert more pressure on lawmakers to pass the CLARITY Act in 2026.
“Part of the rush to finish Genius was to stop that hemorrhage,” he said.
"I think once we return to session and everyone can take the time to absorb what is happening, that same hot platform will emerge where we really don't want the U.S. to fall so far behind as it has been in transformational technologies like artificial intelligence and blockchain," he added.
