DeFi Debrief: Week of August 10, 2026

Senator Thune Files Cloture on Motion to Proceed for the Clarity Act

On August 8, 2026, Senate Majority Leader John Thune filed cloture on the motion to proceed with the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, preserving a path for Senate consideration when lawmakers return from August recess. Invoking cloture requires 60 votes but is not the final vote for passing the bill.

The cloture motion is set to ripen on September 15, giving senators additional time to resolve remaining negotiations. Although the timing does not guarantee a vote that day, the filing provides a procedural path for the Senate to take up the legislation after recess.

As DEF’s Vice President of Government Relations Talia Davis told The Block: “At least there is acknowledgement that this will happen, or at least some hope that it will happen in September. I think some people in the industry are still very skeptical if that will actually follow through,” while noting that the bill remains a priority for the Senate.

For DeFi, these negotiations remain especially important. The bill includes key protections for noncustodial developers and blockchain infrastructure, especially under the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act (BRCA), and many policymakers and industry participants, including DEF, will be working hard to ensure the protections remain intact as the legislation advances.

White House Expands Cyber Tools to Target “Transnational Cyber-Enbaled Crime”

On August 12, 2026, President Trump signed a National Security Presidential Memorandum directing federal law enforcement to expand the use of cyber tools against transnational criminal organizations targeting Americans. The initiative will also allow vetted private-sector companies to support government-directed cyber operations targeting foreign cybercrime networks.

While the action is not only limited to crypto, Patrick Witt, Executive Director of the President’s Council of Advisors for Digital Assets, noted it is a “major step toward shutting down the scammers who exploit crypto to prey on Americans.”

You can find a fact sheet about the memorandum here.

CFTC Chairman Selig Discusses American Leadership in Innovation

On August 6, 2026, CFTC Chairman Michael Selig published an op-ed in the Economist encouraging greater innovation in US and global derivatives markets. The op-ed emphasized the importance of international cooperation, but reminded global regulators that “America is not in the business of importing regulatory trends designed by agencies that are considering yesterday’s markets built around limited trading hours, single exchanges and screen-based trading.” Chairman Selig applauded advances in American financial regulation, including the CFTC’s approval of the first-ever Bitcoin perpetual futures contract and the expansion of trading hours for certain contracts.

You can read the full article here.

Notable and Quotable

“Section 604…will ensure that the people designing agentic finance, tokenized markets, and the rails underneath them keep doing that work here, under clear law. Other jurisdictions are courting exactly this talent and capital. […] Even the most forward-leaning regulator is telling us that Congress sets the durable answers, and that protecting developers belongs at the center of the analysis.”

—Joseph Chalom, CEO of Sharplink and Former Head of Digital Assets Strategy at BlackRock