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The Bitcoin Act
TheBitcoinAct@nostrcheck.me
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The newsletter that breaks down Bitcoin law and regulation twice a week, before it hits you. Written by a legal counsel. โšก First opener wins 2,100 sats.
Me knowing exactly where every sat is, and that nobody can take it from me๐Ÿ‘‡ image
The CLARITY Act is back on the clock. White House crypto adviser Patrick Witt says he is โ€œoptimistic and bullishโ€ ahead of the Senateโ€™s planned Sept. 15 cloture vote. But two major fights remain: stablecoin rewards and Trump-related ethics rules. 2/7 Why Sept. 15 matters: Senate Majority Leader John Thune has scheduled a cloture vote on the CLARITY Act. That is a procedural vote to advance the bill, not a final vote to make it law. The bill still has a long road after that. 3/7 The stablecoin fight looked settled. Sens. Thom Tillis and Angela Alsobrooks negotiated a compromise limiting rewards for simply holding stablecoins while preserving certain transaction-based rewards. Now Senate Banking Chair Tim Scott says the issue is back. 4/7 That distinction matters. The legal question is not simply: โ€œCan stablecoins earn rewards?โ€ It is whether a reward is effectively the same as paying interest on a bank deposit. That line could have major consequences for crypto platforms, banks and users. 5/7 Then there is the ethics fight. Democrats want stronger restrictions addressing Trump and other public officialsโ€™ crypto conflicts. The proposal would restrict public officials and their spouses from issuing or sponsoring digital assets, while still allowing investment. The details remain contested. 6/7 The bigger legal picture: CLARITY would establish a federal regulatory framework for digital assets and define responsibilities between the SEC and CFTC. But until Congress passes it and the president signs it, none of this is settled law. That distinction matters. 7/7 So here is the real September question: Can lawmakers resolve stablecoin rewards and crypto ethics while finding the votes needed to move the bill? Patrick Witt is bullish. The legislation still has to survive Congress. For bi-weekly, plain-English analysis of the laws shaping Bitcoin and crypto, subscribe to The Bitcoin Act:
Real talk, did you buy Bitcoin as an investment or as insurance against the system? ๐Ÿ‘‡ image
A police letter could freeze your exchange account for 10 days. No judge. No notice. No conviction required to keep your coins after. California moved SB 1208 to the Assembly floor: probable cause seizure, forfeiture without a charge. Issue #73 is out. Also inside: โ†’ Norway's pension fund quietly hit 11,549 BTC โ†’ The OFAC list your custodian checks before you can even touch a payment โ†’ Why September 15 matters more than Wednesday's White House meeting Does your state have a law like California's? Tell me below. ๐Ÿ‘‡
Bitcoin is dead" has been declared over 400 times now. How many times have you personally seen this headline? ๐Ÿ‘‡ image
Regulation headlines = kitten energy. Stacking sats through all of it = tiger energy. image
France's tax agency just leaked the names, home addresses and declared income of 678,437 people. The state collected that data by law, then lost it. In the country that leads the world in wrench attacks. Your KYC form is not a safety measure. It is a list. And lists get stolen. Issue #72 of The Bitcoin Act is live. Also inside: ๐Ÿ—ฝ New York's Republican candidate for governor is running on abolishing the BitLicense ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ช Ireland's new AML strategy adds checks on transfers involving privately held wallets ๐Ÿ›๏ธ Trump and the CFTC chair meet industry executives Wednesday to open federal market-rule talks Two issues a week. Free. Link in the first reply. Serious question for the room: should tax agencies be allowed to hold holdings data at all? ๐Ÿ‘‡
Up or down, still smiling, still stacking. Who else is built like this? ๐ŸŸ  image
Trump is meeting crypto executives at the White House on Wednesday. CFTC Chair Michael Selig will be there too. And this is happening just ONE day before the CFTCโ€™s first major Innovation Advisory Committee meeting, while the CLARITY Act is stalled in the Senate. Most people will watch the headlines. Iโ€™m watching the legal power being built underneath them. Tomorrowโ€™s The Bitcoin Act breaks down what this actually means for Bitcoin, what the people closest to these issues are saying, the key legal numbers from this week, and the events next week that could matter. There are a lot of them. If you care about Bitcoin beyond the price, this is the stuff you need to see before it becomes obvious. And yes, just like every week: The first person to open tomorrowโ€™s issue gets 2,100 sats. Be early. โ‚ฟ
What about you, do you know any Bitcoin Cash hodlers? ๐Ÿ‘‡ image
Quick question for bitcoiners: Does your country have a framework law on cryptoassets? image
Most newsletters extract attention and give nothing back. Fountain (and a few other pure Bitcoin things) flipped that principle. Sats flow both ways for real attention. That stuck with me. So every issue of The Bitcoin Act works the same way: the first person to open it gets 2,100 sats over Lightning. One winner. No split. No raffle. Straight to their wallet. Used to be 21 sats for anyone who opened early. Then it felt off. Bitcoin doesnโ€™t pay every miner who shows up. One takes the block. Same rule here. Just the legal signal that matters for staying sovereign, and sats for the fastest reader. Anyone else building something where sats actually move both directions? ๐Ÿ‘‡
Another unlicensed โ€œcryptoโ€ platform just got its websites taken down. Investors report blocked withdrawals. The platform blamed the regulator. The regulator said thatโ€™s a lie. Yepbit is the latest reminder: if you donโ€™t hold the keys, you donโ€™t hold the coins. Thread ๐Ÿงต 2/ ASIC (Australiaโ€™s securities regulator) used its website takedown powers on Wednesday to remove several sites linked to Yepbit. This came after investors reported they could not withdraw funds from the digital assets and futures trading platform. ASIC also added fresh warnings to its Investor Alert List. 3/ Yepbit told some investors that ASIC had frozen their funds while the platform dealt with audits or regulatory requirements. ASIC called those claims false. The regulator said it took no steps that stopped Yepbit from returning any funds. 4/ Yepbit does not hold an Australian Financial Services Licence. It is also not registered as a virtual asset service provider with AUSTRAC. ASIC has issued multiple alerts on Yepbit domains since March, with more added recently. 5/ This is not just an Australian issue. In February the Philippines SEC issued a cease-and-desist order against Yepbit Exchange Pty Limited and Fidelity Capital Investment Group for soliciting investments without the required approvals. 6/ In July Ghanaโ€™s SEC warned the public against Yepbit Exchange and Bonchat, calling them suspected fraudulent investment schemes and confirming neither is licensed. 7/ Unlicensed platforms that block withdrawals and then invent regulatory excuses are a familiar pattern. Your coins sitting on someone elseโ€™s website are not your coins. Self-custody exists for a reason. Stack sats. Hold your own keys. Ignore the shiny platforms that promise easy yields without real licenses. Have you or anyone you know been caught by one of these? Drop it below. Stay sharp out there.โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹ 8/ Want the full legal analysis on every Bitcoin bill, ethics trap, and regulatory landmine before the headlines hit? Subscribe free at No fluff. Just the clarity Bitcoiners actually need.
Do you buy your Bitcoin on a non-KYC exchange, or on a KYC CEX? image
California's SB 1208 passed the state Senate 39-0. It lets prosecutors freeze your exchange-held Bitcoin for 10 days without a conviction, and the exchange doesn't have to tell you. Assembly hearing: August 13. Also in Issue #71 of The Bitcoin Act: South Africa wants every self-custody withdrawal reported, and Australia just pulled 96 Bitcoin ATMs offline for missing paperwork. Inside: โ†’ Sovereignty Move of the Week: is your Bitcoin currency, security, or property? โ†’ The Market Knows First: prediction markets are pricing a Trump pardon for Keonne Rodriguez, Clarity becoming law, and a crypto capital-gains repeal. Not your keys, not your coins, SB 1208 just made the case for you. ๐ŸŸ  Bullish or bearish on SB 1208 clearing its August 13 hearing? ๐Ÿ‘‡
And you, how many times a day do you check whatโ€™s in your wallet? image
Callout post. Be honest, are you actually running your own node right now, yes or no? ๐Ÿ‘‡ image
Had to update the map again this week. ๐ŸŒŽ Big one. Putin signed Russia's first comprehensive crypto law on Aug 4, so the Russia entry is fully rewritten. Federal Law 282-FZ, "On Digital Currencies and Digital Rights." Core provisions go live Sept 1. The state that spent a decade calling Bitcoin a threat just built a licensed market around it. What actually changed: โ€” Retail can buy the most-liquid coins, capped at 300k rubles (~$3,700) a year per venue. โ€” Exchanges must register with the central bank, hold 15M rubles equity, join an SRO. โ€” The law enshrines judicial protection for holders. โ€” Domestic payments stay banned. Russia's now updated. The map tracks 140+ countries on six things: is it legal, can you self-custody, how's it taxed, what's it classified as, where's the politics headed, and can the state take it. Which government do you trust least? ๐Ÿ‘‡ image
Thune filed cloture on the CLARITY Act: a September 15 vote needing 60 of 100 senators. A delay, not a defeat. Also in Issue #70 of The Bitcoin Act: ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ Putin caps Russian retail Bitcoin buys near $3,700/year, and ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท scammers are impersonating France's markets regulator post-MiCA to drain wallets. Inside: โ†’ Saylor: Bitcoin needs no permission from Congress. Moreno: the talks are over. Lummis: the status quo fails everyone. โ†’ Plus this week's numbers in bitcoin law โ†’ Every bitcoin/law event on the calendar next week BTC doesn't need a cloture vote. ๐ŸŸ  Bullish or bearish on CLARITY getting its 60 votes September 15? Drop your take below.
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