Ripple and MicroStrategy Say XRP and Bitcoin Remain Legally Secure After Senate Rejects CLARITY Act

On Tuesday, the U.S. Senate rejected the CLARITY Act by a vote of 49 to 50, falling short of the 60 votes needed to pass the bill that aimed to embed cryptocurrency market rules into federal law. Both Ripple and MicroStrategy quickly reassured investors that the outcome does not alter the legal status of their primary assets.

Legal backdrop for XRP

Ripple’s chief legal officer, Stuart Alderoty, highlighted two recent developments that he says protect XRP:

• A 2023 federal court decision concluded that XRP sales on exchanges were not securities transactions, though the same judge found Ripple’s institutional sales violated securities law.
• In March, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) jointly classified XRP as a “digital commodity” among 16 assets.

These rulings, Alderoty noted on X, place XRP on “settled ground.”

Bitcoin’s regulatory certainty

MicroStrategy, which holds 845,050 BTC purchased for $63.73 billion (approximately $75,412 per coin), echoed the sentiment for Bitcoin. The company stated that Bitcoin has enjoyed “legal and regulatory clarity in the U.S. for years.” At the time of the vote, Bitcoin was trading near $76,206, roughly 1 % above MicroStrategy’s average cost.

Political dynamics of the CLARITY Act

The bill had previously passed the House of Representatives with a 294‑134 vote in July 2025, supported by a majority of Democrats. However, opposition grew in the Senate, where 18 state attorneys general urged rejection. Critics, including Ripple’s CEO Brad Garlinghouse, blamed partisan politics for the bill’s failure.

Market reaction

Crypto markets showed a brief reaction to the vote, but price movements for both XRP and Bitcoin quickly stabilized, reflecting the reassurance from the two companies.