[News Brief] Apr 22, morning | U.S. Senate Banking Committee Passes Digital Asset Market 'Clarity Act'

The 'Clarity Act,' which addresses the structure of the U.S. digital asset market, has passed review by the Senate Banking Committee and now moves 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 to 9. The bill includes provisions to clarify digital asset classification, oversight of trading platforms, and market structure rules.

Lawmakers from both parties stressed the need for a unified regulatory framework for digital assets. Supporters said 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 oversight system.

The bill is viewed as a key legislative measure to complement the 'GENIUS Act,' which focuses on stablecoins. If ultimately enacted, it could help reduce regulatory uncertainty in the U.S. digital asset market.

According to Odaily, SoSoValue data showed that U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded net outflows of $734.4 million on Wednesday, the largest single-day net outflow since Jan. 29.

BlackRock's IBIT saw $527.8 million withdrawn in a single day, marking its second-largest daily net outflow since listing. Spot ETF fund flows are widely regarded as a key indicator of Bitcoin investor sentiment.

Bitcoin (BTC) fell below $73,000.

According to Odaily, BTC traded at $72,974 on OKX, down 3.53% over the previous 24 hours.

According to Watcher.Guru, $500 million worth of long positions were liquidated across the crypto market over the past 90 minutes.

Long liquidation refers to the forced closure of leveraged bullish positions during a price decline and is often interpreted as a sign of heightened short-term volatility.

According to Odaily, Lookonchain reported net outflows of 3,638 BTC from U.S. Bitcoin ETFs.

Ethereum ETFs also saw 9,603 ETH in outflows, while Solana ETFs recorded net inflows of 2,859 SOL.

United Texas Bank has converted into a nationally chartered bank with approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and is launching a 24/7 digital asset payments network. The bank aims to expand its role in connecting global digital asset companies 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 federal charter as major large banks and gained direct access to the Federal Reserve.

United Texas Bank said it is currently settling about $10 billion in dollar transactions per month for global digital asset firms. The move comes amid stronger federal rules related to digital assets and stablecoins and appears to reflect a broader push to expand crypto payment infrastructure.

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 addressing regulatory requirements.

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

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

The Strait of Hormuz is a major 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, Block's Cash App is rolling out stablecoin payment functionality in phases.

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

The functionality is currently available to about 25% of users, and the company plans to expand access to all users within the week.

Block CEO Jack Dorsey has long been known for his Bitcoin-focused stance, but the company appears to have added the feature in response to growing stablecoin demand.

Wall Street post-trade giant DTCC plans to integrate its tokenized securities platform with the Stellar network in the first half of 2027, PANews reported, citing CoinDesk.

If completed, the integration would allow tokenized stocks, ETFs, and U.S. Treasuries held by DTCC to be traded on the Stellar network.

DTCC and Stellar also plan to support on-chain issuance, settlement, and lifecycle management of traditional securities, while exploring the tokenization of highly liquid assets such as major equity indexes and U.S. Treasuries.

Mastercard has received approval in New York to operate crypto and stablecoin payment infrastructure, according to Watcher.Guru.

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