61 Crypto Executives Press Senate on CLARITY Act Developer Shield
A coalition of 61 industry leaders, founders, and investors has asked Senate leadership to pass the CLARITY Act while keeping intact protections for software developers — a provision the group treats as a prerequisite, not a negotiating chip. The push lands after the Senate Banking Committee cleared a related measure, the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act, which would draw cleaner lines around liability for developers and service providers.
A coalition of 61 industry leaders, founders, and investors has asked Senate leadership to pass the CLARITY Act while keeping intact protections for software developers — a provision the group treats as a prerequisite, not a negotiating chip. The push lands after the Senate Banking Committee cleared a related measure, the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act, which would draw cleaner lines around liability for developers and service providers.
What the Two Bills Would Do
The Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act, or BRCA, passed out of committee first and targets a persistent gap in U.S. crypto law: when does writing or running blockchain software make you a regulated financial intermediary? The bill as approved would establish that developers and service providers operating in certain capacities are not automatically money transmitters or broker-dealers — a distinction the industry has sought for years.
The CLARITY Act addresses broader market structure questions. The 61 signatories want that bill to carry the same developer-safe-harbor language forward, signaling that committee passage of the BRCA is not sufficient on its own.
The Lobbying Calculation
Sixty-one names is a notable number for a coordinated letter, drawing from founders and investors rather than only trade groups. That composition matters: it is easier for legislators to characterize a trade association as self-interested than to dismiss a named list that spans builders and capital allocators.
The coalition's framing — preserve "key" developer protections — also implies that some versions of the CLARITY Act in circulation may weaken or omit those provisions. The group is not simply asking for passage; it is asking for passage of a specific form of the bill. That distinction suggests the legislation is still being shaped, and that the industry sees the Senate floor stage as a moment where protections could be diluted.
Why Developer Liability Is the Pressure Point
Regulatory uncertainty around developer liability has been cited repeatedly as a reason U.S.-based teams move protocol work offshore or restructure through foreign entities. The BRCA and the CLARITY Act, if aligned, would theoretically reduce that pressure by giving developers a clearer legal status before they ship code rather than after enforcement action.
Whether that clarity survives conference and final passage is a separate question. The committee vote on the BRCA advances the argument; it does not settle it.