Bank Plans on CLARITY Act Send Circle and Coinbase Shares Lower

Circle (CRCL) and Coinbase (COIN) shares both fell more than 3% after reports that JPMorgan Chase and a consortium of major banks were moving toward issuing their own stablecoins following the advancement of the CLARITY Act. The news focused attention on the potential for traditional lenders to compete with crypto-native issuers such as Circle and Tether.

The selloff followed a Wall Street Journal report that U.S. banks are warming to stablecoins as nonbank issuers expand and executives worry the tokens could encroach on traditional banking. JPMorgan Chase has explored a potential stablecoin, though the discussions remain preliminary and no product is under development.

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Separately, a consortium of more than a dozen banks, including Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Santander, is advancing plans for a commercial-focused stablecoin. The consortium has discussed a stablecoin covering the U.S. dollar, the euro, and other Group of Seven currencies.

CRCL retail sentiment on Stocktwits slipped from the extremely bullish zone to the bullish zone as chatter stayed at high levels over the past day. COIN sentiment remained in the extremely bullish zone, while chatter also stayed at high levels.

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The BankChain Alliance announced an industry-owned and industry-governed blockchain network intended to enable banks of all sizes to build modern payment rails. According to the Wall Street Journal, the organizations involved, modeled on the Federal Home Loan Bank system, represent about 3,283 institutions and $21.8 trillion in assets. The platform is anticipated to emerge in the first half of 2027.

Planned use cases include treasury management, supply-chain financing, cash management, tokenized deposits, stablecoins, smart payment tools, and automated settlement. The Alliance said it is seeking a technology partner and that the network would be interoperable with other networks and open to ownership by banks nationwide.

Kathy Kraninger, interim chair of the BankChain Alliance and president and CEO of the Florida Bankers Association, said the collaboration is intended to help banks of all sizes build their future and continue serving customers safely and efficiently across rural, urban, and regional communities.

The announcements point to banks exploring on-chain payment and settlement services alongside tokenized deposits and stablecoins. The reported plans remain preliminary in JPMorgan’s case, while the BankChain Alliance network is planned for 2027.

Coinbase has become one of the most vocal industry supporters of the CLARITY Act, with CEO Brian Armstrong and senior executives repeatedly urging the Senate to advance the crypto market structure bill. The company has also backed industry lobbying efforts, including a June letter signed by more than 200 crypto organizations calling for a Senate floor vote.

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More recently, Coinbase Vice Chair Ryan VanGrack publicly pushed for passage as lawmakers faced mounting pressure to act, while Coinbase backed advocacy group Stand With Crypto, which endorsed congressional candidates who previously supported the legislation.

For now, the bank news arrived as the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, or CLARITY Act, had yet to pass the Senate, with the bill’s treatment of stablecoin yield among the remaining issues to be resolved.

Shay Boloor, a market strategist at Futurum Equities, said Circle stock was under pressure amid concern that a dollar stablecoin issued and distributed at scale by major banks could reduce the share of the market flowing through Circle and USDC.

Two developments remain in view. The BankChain Alliance network is anticipated for the first half of 2027, and the Alliance is still seeking a technology partner.

Meanwhile, the Senate’s handling of the CLARITY Act, including its treatment of stablecoin yield, remains unresolved. The progress of the bank initiatives and the legislation will remain central to the discussion around stablecoin competition.

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