Crypto markets rallied Thursday after the Senate Banking Committee advanced the long-awaited digital asset market structure legislation, the Clarity Act, marking a significant step toward federal regulation of the industry.
The bill passed in a 15–9 committee vote, with support from two Democratic senators, and now heads to the full Senate for consideration.
Bitcoin surged to $82,000 following the news as traders responded to improving regulatory clarity in Washington. It later eased to about $81,500, still up roughly 2.5% on the day.
Crypto equities also climbed. Coinbase (COIN) led gains with an 8% jump as investors positioned for potential institutional inflows under clearer rules. Strategy (MSTR) rose 7%, while Bitmine (BMNR), an Ethereum-focused treasury company, added 5.6%.
Stablecoin issuer Circle (CRCL) and Bullish (BLSH), CoinDesk’s owner, both recovered from earlier declines, contributing to a stronger tone across the sector.
Broader markets also remained firmly risk-on, with the Nasdaq 100 and S&P 500 hitting new record highs.
Momentum was further supported by the strong public debut of AI chipmaker Cerebras (CBRS), which traded as much as 100% above its IPO price, underscoring continued investor enthusiasm for artificial intelligence stocks.
The AI rally also spilled into infrastructure and data center names, particularly companies that have pivoted from Bitcoin mining into high-performance computing. Keel Infrastructure (KEEL), formerly Bitfarms, gained 9%, while IREN (IREN) rose 5% and Hive Digital (HIVE) advanced 8%, as investors continued rotating into AI-linked infrastructure plays.
