U.S. Crypto Legislation Faces Delays, But Senate Talks Offer Hope for 2025 Progress

The long-anticipated U.S. legislation to establish a fully regulated cryptocurrency market may not materialize in 2025, according to growing industry sentiment. However, upcoming discussions in the Senate could reignite momentum and pave the way for future progress.

Crypto industry leaders, including Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, Chainlink co-founder Sergey Nazarov, Uniswap’s Hayden Adams, and Solana Policy Institute President Kristin Smith, are set to meet with up to 10 Democratic senators this week. The high-level meeting will also include executives from Kraken, Galaxy Digital, a16z Crypto, and Circle. The goal is to realign efforts on crypto market structure legislation and maintain open communication between policymakers and the blockchain industry.

The discussions aim to resolve recent disagreements over proposed decentralized finance (DeFi) regulations, which many in the industry labeled as impractical. According to a Chainlink spokeswoman, “Dialogues like this are critical to getting market structure legislation back on track.”

Earlier optimism among lawmakers had suggested the legislation could reach President Donald Trump’s desk this year, following the passage of a separate stablecoin regulation bill. While the House of Representatives already passed its Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, Senate negotiations have stalled amid political disagreements and government funding challenges.

Senator Cynthia Lummis has hinted that year-end may be a more realistic target for completion, while others predict the process will extend into 2026. “A productive dialogue between industry and policymakers is essential,” Smith emphasized.

Despite delays, experts believe bipartisan cooperation remains key. “Any durable policy must be bipartisan,” said Blockchain Association CEO Summer Mersinger.

Although legislative momentum has slowed, industry leaders remain hopeful that continued Senate engagement will lay the groundwork for clear and lasting U.S. crypto regulation.