Good morning, everyone. Matt here. Welcome to your Friday edition of the Daily Crypto News, July 18, 2025. We’ve got a packed show today: three big bills moving through Congress, listener questions, market momentum, some analogies (because why not?), and yeah — a few rants. I’ve got thoughts.
Before we jump in, a shout-out to Kyle for holding it down the past couple days. I always enjoy listening to the show when I’m not hosting, and I know you all do too. And hey — remember to subscribe at dailycryptonews.net, leave comments on Substack, and follow us on Spotify.
Let’s dive in.
📜 Crypto Clarity Act Passes House as ‘Crypto Week’ Gains Momentum
✍️ President Trump Signs Historic Crypto Bills: Genius & Clarity Acts Become Law
💸 Crypto Market Cap Surges Past $4 Trillion, Led by Bitcoin and Ethereum
🚀 “Blood Rushing Back In”: XRP, Dogecoin Lead Massive Altcoin Rally
🏦 Cantor Fitzgerald and Adam Back Team Up on $3.5B Bitcoin Treasury Venture
⚖️ Hungary to Criminalize Certain Crypto Trading Under Revised Penal Code
🚲 E-Bike Maker’s Stock Soars 135% on $500M Bitcoin Treasury Strategy
💰 Ripple Co-Founder Cashes Out XRP as Token Approaches All-Time High
📈 Bitcoin’s Golden Cross That Preceded 2,000% Rally Is Back
📉 Trader Cobb & Market Training via The Grow Me Co
Congress Moves on Crypto: Three Big Bills
"Let me say that again: You’re going to have all these stablecoins now — and nothing codified to protect your privacy."
Congress just pushed forward three significant crypto-related bills, each with big implications for the future of digital assets in the U.S.
1. The Genius Act (Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins):
This one passed the House 308–122 and already cleared the Senate. It's now on President Trump’s desk. The Genius Act creates a federal framework for U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoins. Key requirements include one-to-one backing with liquid, low-risk reserves, AML controls, routine audits, and dual state and federal oversight.
While I appreciate the effort to formalize stablecoins, I’ve got real concerns. Private companies — Circle, JPMorgan, Bank of America — are now greenlit to flood the market with their own coins. But where’s the protection for users? Where’s the privacy guarantee? These are corporate products with terms of service, not sovereign money. You think fiat was bad? We just made a version that pays you zero yield and still erodes in value.
2. Anti-CBDC Surveillance Act:
This one is more ideological. It narrowly passed the House and now heads to the Senate. It blocks the Fed from creating a central bank digital currency (CBDC), largely out of concern that it could be used for surveillance. I understand that fear. But here's the contradiction: we're saying "no" to the Fed issuing programmable money, while saying "yes" to every megabank doing the exact same thing.
3. The Clarity Act (Digital Asset Market Clarity Act):
This bill is arguably the most important. It lays out the classification framework:
Digital Commodities (e.g., Bitcoin, Ethereum): Controlled by no one, no one entity can alter the protocol, no rights to profit — governed by the CFTC.
Digital Asset Securities: Fundraising tokens or assets with centralized management and profit expectations — handled by the SEC.
Stablecoins: Shared oversight between SEC and CFTC due to fraud, payment, and value-transfer implications.
This is a major step forward for regulatory clarity. But again, the devil’s in the details — and the Senate is where the sausage really gets made.
My Take
"Honestly, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the Fed might be the lesser evil here."
We’re missing the plot. Lawmakers are blocking a government-run CBDC because of surveillance concerns while enabling private companies to do the same thing — only with fewer rules. These stablecoins have no privacy guarantees, no yield, and could centralize control in opaque corporate hands.
I’m not saying I want the Fed issuing digital dollars. But I do think there’s a bigger conversation to be had here about who controls our money. And I’m not seeing that conversation happening in Congress. That’s what worries me.
The Baseball Analogy: Where Are We in Crypto’s Game?
"I think we’re in the top of the ninth of a doubleheader."
A listener hit me with a great question this week: “If the crypto movement were a baseball game, what inning would we be in?” People always say we’re still early — bottom of the first, maybe second. But I disagree.
To me, we’re late in game one of a doubleheader. And it’s a tight game. I’d call it the top of the ninth, and we’re up by one run. The score? 4–3, our side. But let me break it down.
Those four runs we’ve scored? They’re the Genius Act, the Clarity Act, the market’s momentum, and the growing corporate adoption of Bitcoin. We’re seeing the pieces start to fall into place. Bitcoin’s being officially classified as a commodity. Ethereum too. The government is finally laying down frameworks — even if imperfect — that at least recognize this industry’s legitimacy.
But we’re also sitting at two outs. One misstep and the tide could turn. That final out is the Senate — and they have a reputation for either stalling out progress or stuffing these bills with enough red tape to gut their effectiveness. If the Senate flinches or plays politics with these bills, we could go from a one-run lead to facing a bottom-of-the-ninth rally from the opposition.
And even if we do close this inning — and game one — with a win, that’s not the end. Game two begins immediately: the implementation phase. This is where rules get interpreted, where agencies like the SEC and CFTC jockey for turf, and where lobbyists try to tilt the field. It's not about passing laws anymore — it’s about how those laws are enforced. That’s when we find out whether this framework empowers decentralization... or hands everything to the same Wall Street power players we've been trying to disintermediate.
Then there's game three — and this one might be the most important. Game three is the world we live in after regulation settles. It's the long-term outcome. Who controls the financial rails in a crypto-regulated future? Will it be the people, leveraging open protocols, peer-to-peer finance, and self-custody? Or will it be Wall Street firms, stablecoin giants, and big banks, embedding crypto into the same closed system we've been trying to escape from?
We’ve scored runs. Don’t get me wrong — we’ve had some big wins. But they’ve scored too. Stablecoins are being legalized, but without any meaningful privacy or user protections. Massive corporations are now lining up to hold Bitcoin, but not necessarily for ideological reasons. They see profit and power, not freedom.
It’s a close game. We’re ahead for now. But don’t mistake progress for victory. We’ve still got innings to play. Game two is going to be about power consolidation, infrastructure fights, privacy debates, and whether decentralization can hold its ground. Game three? That’s for all the marbles.
So yeah — it’s the top of the ninth. We’ve got a slim lead. Two outs. The Senate’s up next. Don’t go buying championship banners just yet.
Listener Questions
Quantum Cold Wallets – BP Kolar:
BP Kolar asked if it’s necessary to back up cold wallets with quantum-proof solutions.
Short answer: not yet. Long answer: quantum computing is a risk in the long term, but right now, if Bitcoin breaks due to quantum tech, we’ve got way bigger problems than just your wallet. I’m watching this closely — especially for updates from core devs and people like Jameson Lopp. Once trusted devs roll out proper tools, then wallet makers will follow. But for now, it’s premature.
Market Trends & Company Moves
"We’re seeing the biggest corporate accumulation trend in Bitcoin’s history."
Let’s talk about Volcon. This Texas-based electric vehicle company just raised $500 million — and plans to use 95% of it to buy Bitcoin. That’s right: a public company just bet nearly half a billion on BTC. Their stock surged 135%.
Then there’s the new SPAC merger: Bitcoin Strategy Treasury (BSTR), led by Adam Back of Blockstream, merging with Cantor Fitzgerald’s affiliate. They’re launching with 30,000 BTC, $1.5 billion in financing, and plans to become a major player in the Bitcoin treasury space — just behind Marathon and MicroStrategy.
Oh — and Brandon Lutnick, son of U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, is leading the SPAC. So yeah, some cozy ties there. I’m not saying it’s fishy, but let’s just say it smells a little... central-planny.
Global Headlines
Hungary is tightening the screws. Their new laws punish unlicensed crypto traders with up to 8 years in prison. It’s harsh, but honestly? Not even a blip. Hungary isn’t moving the global market. Maybe people will trade the news, but it won’t impact fundamentals.
Crypto Market Update
As of 9:13 a.m. EST, here are the top crypto prices and movements:
Bitcoin (BTC): $119,103
Market Cap: $2.36 trillion
24h: +1.1%
Ethereum (ETH): $3,644
Market Cap: $438.3 billion
24h: +6.5%, 7d: +22%
XRP: $3.49
24h: +7.6%, 7d: +30%
Dogecoin (DOGE): $0.245
24h: +14.2%
Binance (BNB): $763
24h: +6.2%, 7d: +11%
Solana (SOL): $179
24h: +2.3%
Cardano (ADA): $0.853
24h: +6.2%
Litecoin (LTC): $107.64
24h: +6.5%, 7d: +11%
Total Market Cap: $3.91 trillion
Fear & Greed Index: 71 – Greedy
Summary
This week was a turning point. Regulatory clarity is coming, but it’s bringing some Trojan horses with it. Private companies are being handed the keys to issue digital money — and I’m not sure we’ve thought through what that means.
We’re closing in on the end of a long battle, but we’re not done yet. The Senate is up next, and after that, the real contest begins: Who shapes the digital financial system of the future?
We’ve got momentum. But remember — game two is about to start.
Happy HODLing, Everyone.
Here have a random car rant
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