O’Leary says crypto bill key for institutional Bitcoin

Kevin O’Leary has said Bitcoin and tokenisation will remain outside the reach of major institutional investors until the US passes clearer crypto legislation.

The investor and television personality highlighted the importance of the CLARITY Act during remarks shared from a fireside chat at CoinDesk’s Consensus event.

O’Leary argued that institutions need a clearer legal framework before they can fully support Bitcoin, tokenised assets, and wider digital asset markets.

"It has to become compliant globally within the SEC with an actual passage of a bill. When that occurs, it’s gonna change everything,"

Kevin O’Leary said.

He said the current political window matters because the US midterm elections are approaching in November.

O’Leary warned that lawmakers may have limited time to move the bill forward before election politics slow progress.

"The chance to pass this bill is now,"

Kevin O’Leary noted.

His comments came after the CLARITY Act passed a vote in the Senate Banking Committee, marking a key step for US crypto regulation.

The bill gained bipartisan support, with some Democratic senators voting in favour of the measure.

The development has raised hopes among crypto supporters that lawmakers may be closer to setting clearer rules for digital assets.

O’Leary had earlier said in January that he was hopeful the legislation could pass by mid-May.

The latest progress suggests the bill still has momentum, although major details remain under negotiation.

Most crypto companies, including Coinbase Global Inc., now broadly support the legislation after a compromise was reached on stablecoin yield rules.

The compromise would stop crypto firms from offering rewards that are economically or functionally similar to deposit interest.

However, banking groups remain dissatisfied with the wording and continue to push for tighter restrictions.

The bill now moves to the Senate floor, where negotiators are expected to combine it with a version from the Senate Agriculture Committee.

The outcome could shape how US regulators treat crypto exchanges, tokenised assets, stablecoin products, and institutional Bitcoin exposure.

Bitcoin was trading at $77,684.27 at the time of writing, up 0.51% over the previous 24 hours, according to Benzinga Pro.

The debate shows how closely crypto markets now track Washington policy, especially as investors wait for clearer rules before making larger commitments.

At the time of reporting, Bitcoin price was $77,234.91.