Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan says crypto will advance despite US Clarity Act delay

Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan told Cointelegraph that the cryptocurrency sector will continue to grow even if the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act fails to pass Congress before the Senate’s summer recess. He said the Securities and Exchange Commission, led by Chair Paul Atkins, is prepared to issue rules that could be more favorable to innovation than a bipartisan legislative compromise, effectively acting as an accelerant for the industry.

Hougan noted that the market’s momentum, institutional involvement from firms such as BlackRock and JPMorgan, and the sector’s scale make a legislative setback unlikely to halt progress. While he added that passage of the Clarity Act would be the optimal scenario for the U.S. economy and investor protection, he emphasized that crypto has a multi‑year window to expand regardless of the bill’s fate. Market‑based forecasts show the probability of the bill’s enactment falling from about 75% in May to roughly 23% today.