The US government shutdown negatively impacted many sectors and also disrupted progress in the cryptocurrency sector.
At this point, the shutdown has delayed the approval of altcoin ETFs like XRP and Solana (SOL), which are awaiting approval from the SEC.
Apart from this, it also postponed the approval process of cryptocurrency bills in the USA.
Investment bank TD Cowen has indicated that the US cryptocurrency bill could be delayed beyond the November 2026 elections.
US investment bank TD Cowen has predicted that the passage of a major cryptocurrency market structure bill could be delayed until after the November 2026 midterm elections, The Block reported.
The bank said Republicans and Democrats were negotiating a bill on how the cryptocurrency sector should be regulated, but things were not going well.
Negotiations on the bill, known as the CLARITY Act, have reportedly stalled due to behind-the-scenes disagreements between the Democratic and Republican parties.
On this point, TD Cowen stated that it was not impossible for progress to be made in the next 12 months, but that there were more reasons to delay the bill at present than to accelerate it.
“We are not suggesting there are no avenues for action in the next 12 months.
Our argument is that there are more reasons for senators to delay action than to act quickly.”
The bank said the biggest obstacle to the legislation is Democrats’ demand to ban senior government officials, including President Donald Trump, and their families from owning crypto companies.
The CLARITY Act aims to establish a regulatory framework for the crypto industry by defining the roles of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in the cryptocurrency sector. A provision added to the bill also defines secondary assets. This provision will clarify which digital assets and cryptocurrencies are and are not considered securities.
CLARITY covers much more comprehensive cryptocurrency regulations, unlike GENIUS, which covers a more limited topic such as stablecoins.
The US House of Representatives approved the cryptocurrency regulation bill, called the CLARITY Act, in July 2025.
*This is not investment advice.