News linked to both this project and an event.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed the "Digital Asset Tax Act" on Tuesday, imposing a 0.2% tax on the transaction value of digital asset transactions or services provided to customers in Illinois. The Act will take effect on January 1, 2027.The tax primarily targets crypto service providers, including exchanges, custodians, and brokers, requiring them to collect and remit the tax, with a mechanism similar to sales tax.Industry organizations such as the Crypto Council for Innovation, Digital Chamber, and Illinois Blockchain Association have strongly opposed the Act, stating that it could become one of the most stringent digital asset tax systems in the country.Critics argue that the tax will impose additional costs on Illinois residents solely for using digital assets and may drive crypto enterprises, developers, and innovation activities out of the state.
Illinois has become the first state in the United States to impose a tax on digital asset transactions. Governor J.B. Pritzker signed SB 3019, which includes the Digital Asset Tax Law, levying a 0.2% business tax on brokers who trade, transfer, or custody digital assets for clients within the state. The tax is expected to take effect on January 1, 2027, and is projected to generate approximately $60 million in annual revenue for the state government.The tax targets business activities rather than profits, and traditional securities brokers in Illinois do not bear a similar tax burden. Former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti criticized the tax for being embedded in the budget without sufficient public debate. The Digital Chamber of Commerce and the Illinois Blockchain Association jointly oppose the measure, calling it "unsound in substance, flawed in process, and economically destructive." (cryptobriefing)
a joint letter initiated by Stand With Crypto, in collaboration with the Blockchain Association, the Crypto Council for Innovation, and The Digital Chamber, has been submitted to U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, urging a full floor vote on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act (the "CLARITY Act") as soon as possible.Over 200 crypto enterprises, industry associations, and community organizations, including Coinbase, Ripple, Kraken, a16z, Circle, and Binance.US, have participated in signing the letter. The joint letter points out that the CLARITY Act would establish a comprehensive federal regulatory framework for the digital asset market, clearly delineate regulatory responsibilities, provide feasible registration pathways, protect software developer innovation, and simultaneously promote the return of more digital asset businesses to the U.S. market.The signatories stated that the bill would help retain innovation, jobs, investment, and market activity within the United States, further solidifying America's leading position in the global digital asset innovation sector.It is understood that the CLARITY Act received bipartisan support and passed committee review in the Senate Banking Committee last month. Senator Cynthia Lummis subsequently stated that the next step for the bill is to enter the full Senate deliberation stage.Additionally, 160 former national security and law enforcement officials have previously signed a letter supporting the bill. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and White House Crypto Advisor Patrick Witt have also publicly called for advancing the legislative process. However, the issue of conflicts of interest between the Trump family and the crypto industry is still regarded as one of the main obstacles to the bill's progress. (The Block)
According to The Block, Patrick Witt, the White House’s cryptocurrency advisor, characterized the “Clarity for Digital Assets Act” as a “pro-regulation, pro-law-enforcement” bill during a virtual town hall hosted by the Blockchain Association—responding to law enforcement agencies’ concerns that the bill would weaken their ability to combat financial crime. Senator Cynthia Lummis warned that if the bill fails to pass this year, it may not be revisited until 2030. The bill currently faces multiple hurdles, including disputes over its anti-money laundering (AML) provisions, uncertainty regarding whether the “Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act” (BRCA) would exempt non-custodial developers from money transmission obligations, and unresolved conflicts of interest tied to former President Trump’s personal cryptocurrency investments. Last month, Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Masto voted against the bill, citing concerns that it would impede law enforcement’s ability to trace illicit funds.
According to Blockchain for Europe, the European Blockchain Association, together with Dr. Ulrich Bindseil, former Director General of Market Infrastructure and Payments at the European Central Bank, and Erwin Voloder, the Association’s Director of Research and Strategy, jointly released the report “Reforming MiCA to Support Euro Stablecoins” on April 27. The report acknowledges MiCA’s significance as a landmark regulatory framework, while also pointing out that certain design choices may place Europe in an unfavorable zone of the regulatory “Laffer curve”—overly stringent requirements could undermine the competitiveness of EU markets and drive related business activities outside the EU. To address this, the report puts forward a series of targeted, pragmatic reform proposals aimed at enabling MiCA to foster a more competitive, resilient, and globally influential euro stablecoin ecosystem. It further calls on policymakers, industry participants, and all stakeholders to actively engage in discussions to collectively advance the continuous refinement of the MiCA framework.
the crypto advocacy groups Blockchain Association and CCI, together with over 120 industry institutions including Coinbase, Ripple, Kraken, and Circle, have sent a joint letter to the U.S. Senate Banking Committee, urging an accelerated review process for the CLARITY Act. The industry parties stated that the United States needs to establish a unified regulatory framework for digital asset markets, clarify regulatory responsibilities, and strengthen investor protection. They emphasized that relying solely on enforcement-based regulation cannot create a long-term stable environment. The institutions warned that prolonged policy ambiguity will lead to an outflow of capital, talent, and technology, weakening America's strategic advantages. They also called for the development of tailored federal unified regulatory rules for stablecoins, tokenized assets, and decentralized technologies.