[News Brief] Apr 22, morning | U.S. Digital Asset Market Clarity Bill Advances to Full Senate

The 'Clarity bill,' which addresses the structure of the U.S. digital asset market, has passed review by the Senate Banking Committee and moved on to the full Senate.

According to Odaily, the U.S. Senate Banking Committee recently approved the 'Digital Asset Market Clarity Act' by a vote of 15-9. The bill includes provisions to clarify digital asset classification, oversight of trading platforms, and market structure rules.

Lawmakers from both parties emphasized the need for a unified regulatory framework for digital assets. Supporters argued that about 68 million Americans hold related assets, and that a significant portion of trading takes place on overseas platforms, underscoring the need for a domestic supervisory framework.

This bill is considered a key piece of legislation that would complement the stablecoin-related 'GENIUS Act' in building out the digital asset regulatory framework. If ultimately passed, it could help ease regulatory uncertainty in the U.S. digital asset market.

According to Odaily, Reuters, citing a U.S. official, reported that the U.S. military carried out additional strikes on Iranian military facilities that threatened U.S. forces and commercial navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

The U.S. military also intercepted and shot down multiple Iranian drones that had threatened U.S. forces and maritime commercial traffic.

The Strait of Hormuz is a major global oil shipping route, and any escalation in Middle East military tensions could affect oil prices and investor sentiment toward global risk assets.

According to Odaily, commercial vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has sharply declined again, with only some Iran-linked ships continuing to pass through.

Bloomberg vessel-tracking data showed that only two ships entered the Persian Gulf that day, while one departing fuel tanker appeared to have stopped moving.

The slowdown in shipping came as markets awaited the outcome of negotiations between the United States and Iran. Earlier, Iranian state TV reported that maritime transport through the Strait of Hormuz could normalize within a month, but the U.S. side denied the claim.

Samsung Securities has agreed to acquire a 2% stake in Dunamu, the operator of Upbit, for about KRW 306.3 billion.

PANews, citing Yonhap News, reported that Samsung Securities approved the purchase of about 697,000 Dunamu shares at roughly KRW 439,000 per share through a board resolution.

The sellers are Kakao Investment, Kakao Ventures, the Kakao Youth Startup Fund, and the Korea Financial Investment Fund. Based on this transaction, Dunamu's corporate valuation is estimated at around KRW 15.3 trillion.

Samsung Securities said the investment is intended to strengthen its competitiveness in digital asset business and expand synergies. Hanwha Investment & Securities had previously acquired Dunamu shares held by Kakao Investment at the same price.

According to Odaily, Korea Investment & Securities and OKX are set to sign a deal on the 29th to acquire 20% each of Coinone, for a combined 40% stake.

The acquisition amount is estimated at KRW 500 billion to KRW 600 billion (about $332 million to $398 million). The deal is expected to be carried out mainly through a new share issuance, while current major shareholders are expected to retain management control.

Korea Investment & Securities plans to use the stake purchase to expand its digital asset business, including token issuance and distribution, corporate client acquisition, and large-scale brokerage.

Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, said that JPMorgan Chase may issue a stablecoin in the future.

The source was PANews. Stablecoins are digital assets pegged to the value of fiat currencies such as the U.S. dollar, and global financial institutions have recently been increasingly reviewing related business opportunities.

According to Odaily, Block's Cash App is gradually rolling out a stablecoin payment feature.

The feature supports USDC deposits and withdrawals, transfers between external wallets and Cash App balances, and use as a settlement method for payments. Supported networks include Solana, Ethereum, Polygon, and Arbitrum.

Currently, the feature has been made available to about 25% of users, and the company plans to expand it to all users within the week.

Block CEO Jack Dorsey has long maintained a Bitcoin-centric stance, but the company is said to have added the feature amid rising demand for stablecoins.

Watcher.Guru reported that Mastercard received approval in New York to operate virtual asset and stablecoin payment infrastructure.

The approval is meaningful in that it gives Mastercard a foundation to expand crypto payment services in the highly regulated New York market.

United Texas Bank has converted into a nationally chartered bank approved by the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and is launching a 24/7 digital asset payment network. The bank aims to expand its role in connecting global digital asset firms with the U.S. banking system.

According to Odaily, Dallas-based United Texas Bank transitioned from a Texas state-chartered bank to a national bank. The bank said it has now secured the same type of federal charter as major large banks and can access the Federal Reserve directly.

United Texas Bank said it currently clears about $10 billion in dollar transactions per month for global digital asset firms. The move is seen as part of a broader effort to expand digital asset payment infrastructure amid tighter federal regulations around digital assets and stablecoins.

The bank plans to launch a 24/7 AI-based payment network called 'UTB Atomic' and link it with its compliance platform 'UTB Prism Sentinel' to support around-the-clock digital asset liquidity while maintaining regulatory compliance.

PANews, citing Coinglass data, reported that total liquidations in the crypto futures market reached $314 million over the past 24 hours.

Long liquidations totaled $273 million, while short liquidations came to $40.9837 million. Bitcoin (BTC) liquidations were $103 million, and Ethereum (ETH) liquidations were $53.943 million.