Coinbase And Ripple CEOs Reportedly Meet Howard Lutnick Over CLARITY Act
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong and Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse reportedly met privately with Commerce Secretary nominee Howard Lutnick to discuss regulatory hurdles around the Digital Asset Market CLARITY Act. The meeting signals continued high-level crypto lobbying on market-structure rules, but it does not indicate any policy deal or guarantee the bill will pass. The CLARITY Act matters because the US still lacks a clear framework for classifying digital assets, overseeing trading, custody, disclosures, and defining SEC/CFTC roles. Coinbase wants clearer rules for exchanges, listings, custody, staking, and institutional services. Ripple wants more certainty around XRP, payments, and token usage. Lutnick’s involvement adds political weight, but Congress still controls the bill’s fate. The key takeaway is that crypto regulation is shifting from mainly enforcement and lawsuits toward direct negotiation among industry leaders, lawmakers, and administration officials.
