XRP Tumbles 8% as Senate Blocks CLARITY Act, Outpacing Bitcoin's Decline

Ripple's XRP token fell more than 8% on Tuesday, a steeper decline than Bitcoin and other major cryptocurrencies, after the U.S. Senate failed to advance the CLARITY Act, a bill widely seen as the most direct regulatory catalyst for the digital asset.

The Senate's procedural vote to end debate on the Digital Asset Markets CLARITY Act failed 49-50, falling well short of the 60 votes needed to move the legislation toward a final vote. The outcome sent shockwaves through crypto markets, but XRP bore the brunt of the selling pressure.

At 3:30 p.m. Seoul time on September 16, XRP was trading at $1.29, down 7.73% from the same time a day earlier, according to CoinMarketCap data. Bitcoin, by comparison, had slipped 1.99% to $75,856, having recovered from an earlier dip below the $75,000 level.

The asymmetric reaction underscores how much regulatory clarity had already been priced into XRP. While Bitcoin enjoys status as a commodity with a mature spot ETF market, XRP remains tethered to the outcome of legislative battles in Washington. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse attended a White House event last month where President Donald Trump referenced the need to process the bill, triggering a roughly 10% surge in XRP. That optimism has now unwound.