Ripple Spent Years Fighting for Crypto Clarity, Then the CLARITY Act Failed

Ripple spent years arguing that U.S. crypto companies could not operate indefinitely under regulatory uncertainty.

Then, just as Washington appeared close to creating a broader market structure for digital assets, the CLARITY Act failed to advance in the Senate on Sept. 15.

Ripple called the vote a “tremendous missed opportunity” in its official response to the CLARITY Act’s failure, arguing that the bill could have established clearer rules for consumers and the digital-asset industry.

For Ripple, however, the setback lands differently than it would have several years ago.

The company already survived one of crypto’s defining regulatory battles. The SEC sued Ripple in 2020 over XRP sales, turning the question of XRP’s legal treatment into a years-long court fight.

Now Ripple has considerably more certainty around XRP itself, but the wider U.S. market still lacks the comprehensive framework the CLARITY Act was intended to provide.

XRP’s Problem Is No Longer Just the SEC

That distinction matters.

The failed legislation was broader than Ripple. It was designed to establish clearer boundaries between securities regulation and commodity-market oversight, including a larger role for the CFTC in digital-asset markets. The Senate vote fell short of the 60 votes needed to advance the bill.