Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse said on stage at Consensus 2026 in Miami that the Clarity Act is making real progress in Washington. He described the past week as a “big positive shift” and pointed to growing Senate support as evidence that the bill is moving forward rather than stalling.
His remarks came as the legislation faces pressure from both sides. Major crypto trade groups have backed the Clarity Act, and Coinbase and Circle urged the Senate Banking Committee to advance it after a compromise on stablecoin yield provisions was brokered by Senators Tillis and Alsobrooks. Banking associations have pushed back against those provisions, arguing that the deal could introduce systemic risk to traditional financial institutions.
Ripple ties its public case to regulatory clarity
Garlinghouse has spent years making regulatory clarity central to Ripple’s public message. Earlier this year, Ripple published a survey showing that 72% of institutional respondents view digital assets as essential to their financial operations. He has repeatedly used that figure to argue for federal legislation that gives institutions a defined legal framework for operating in the market.
Ripple’s legal history with the SEC has also made Garlinghouse one of the most closely watched executives in the crypto policy debate. His appearance at Consensus 2026 placed him in the middle of what could become one of the most important periods for US digital asset legislation since the collapse of FTX accelerated regulatory urgency in late 2022.
Conference attendance highlights deeper regulatory interest
Consensus 2026 brought more than 20,000 attendees to Miami. SEC Chair Paul Atkins and CFTC Chair Brian Selig were both present, a sign of unusually high regulatory engagement at the event. The next question is whether Senate support will turn into committee markup in the coming weeks, which would offer the clearest test yet of Garlinghouse’s optimism.