Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse defended Clarity Act progress at Consensus 2026, calling the past week a “big positive shift.”
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse took the Consensus 2026 stage in Miami today and told attendees the Clarity Act is gaining genuine ground in Washington. He called the past week a “big positive shift,” pointing specifically to growing Senate support as proof that the bill is moving.
His confidence arrives at a tense moment for the legislation. The Clarity Act has secured backing from major crypto trade groups, with Coinbase and Circle both urging the Senate Banking Committee to advance the bill after a stablecoin yield compromise was brokered by Senators Tillis and Alsobrooks. Banking associations have pushed back against those yield provisions, arguing the deal introduces systemic risk to traditional financial institutions.
The regulatory backdrop behind Garlinghouse’s optimism
Garlinghouse has made regulatory clarity the centrepiece of Ripple’s public positioning for years. A Ripple survey published earlier this year found 72% of institutional respondents consider digital assets essential to their financial operations. Garlinghouse has used that figure repeatedly to press the case for federal legislation that gives institutions a clear legal framework to operate under.
Ripple’s own legal history with the SEC has made Garlinghouse one of the most closely watched figures on crypto regulation. His Consensus 2026 remarks put him at the centre of what is shaping up to be the most consequential stretch for US digital asset legislation since the FTX collapse triggered regulatory urgency in late 2022.
Consensus 2026 drew over 20,000 attendees to Miami, with SEC Chair Paul Atkins and CFTC Chair Brian Selig both in attendance, signalling the highest level of regulatory engagement the conference has seen. Whether Senate momentum translates into a committee markup in the coming weeks will determine whether Garlinghouse’s optimism proves well-founded.
