Laws move slower than markets. But they hit harder. This is issue #56 of The Bitcoin Act — your Tuesday and Sunday briefing on the legal and regulatory moves that actually shape Bitcoin.

Now for today’s top stories:

🏛 Lummis Defends Clarity Act
Senator Cynthia Lummis stated the Clarity Act gives retail investors real disclosure rules and ends regulatory uncertainty.

🇺🇸 Pritzker Signs Bitcoin Tax Budget
Analyst Lilly Rossi criticized Governor Pritzker for signing a budget that adds a tax on Bitcoin.

🇪🇺 Lagarde Allegedly Blocks Binance License
ECB President Christine Lagarde allegedly directed Greek regulators to reject Binance's MiCA license application.

Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) argues that the Clarity Act protects retail investors with real disclosure requirements while removing the regulatory uncertainty that has choked innovation for years.

Lilly Rossi (Policy Analyst, Illinois Policy Institute) criticizes Governor Pritzker for signing a record-high budget that imposes a new 0.2% tax on Bitcoin exchange, transfer, storing, and custody services instead of protecting Illinois taxpayers from higher costs.

The Crypto Council for Innovation explains that Governor Pritzker signed the most punitive digital asset tax in the country, creating an unprecedented tax regime that disproportionately burdens residents for simply using Bitcoin and will drive innovation and builders out of the state.

Nigel Farage (British politician and Reform UK leader) privately urged the Bank of England to scrap plans for a digital pound, a proposed central bank digital currency, while supporting stablecoins.

Christine Lagarde (President, European Central Bank) allegedly ordered Greek regulators to reject Binance’s MiCA license application despite it being close to approval.

U.S. Congressman Nick Begich (R-AK) argues that the United States should stop selling seized Bitcoin and instead treat it like gold as a strategic reserve asset.

Jaret Seiberg (Managing Director, TD Cowen Washington Research Group) said CME Group has the upper hand in its lawsuit challenging the CFTC’s approval of Bitcoin perpetual futures contracts.

Regulators with the Public Utility Commission of Texas advanced a new batch process for connecting large electricity users to the grid that could benefit Bitcoin miners expanding into data center operations.

Kinsey Fabrizio (President and CEO, Consumer Technology Association) urged Senate leaders to advance the Clarity Act quickly to reduce regulatory uncertainty for technology companies.

Senators Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and Rubén Gallego (D-AZ) introduced a resolution stating that Sam Bankman-Fried should not receive a presidential pardon or commutation under any circumstances.

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🇹🇭 315 – Thailand seized 315 illegal Bitcoin mining rigs tied to an alleged $1.2 million electricity theft scheme. Cointelegraph

🇺🇸 $8 million – Two Texas brothers pleaded guilty to robbing a Minnesota family of over $8 million in cryptocurrency during a gunpoint home invasion. The Block

🇮🇳 $260 million – India's Enforcement Directorate raided Bengaluru firms over alleged cryptocurrency-linked transfers exceeding $260 million. Cointelegraph

🇺🇸 130 – Federal Reserve released a 130-page proposed rule requiring stablecoin issuers to maintain customer identification programs against illicit finance. The Block

⚖️ $1.8 billion – Rodney “Bitcoin Rodney” Burton pleaded guilty to conspiracy in the $1.8 billion HyperFund cryptocurrency fraud scheme. The Block

🇫🇷 Anticipated this week — France AMF vs Dutch regulator competition for Polymarket — French and Dutch authorities compete behind closed doors to attract prediction market platform Polymarket for an EU license; both seek to position themselves as hubs for innovative prediction markets.

🇺🇸 June 23, 2026 — Written submissions deadline to House Ways & Means Committee — Comments due for the record on digital asset tax legislation covering Bitcoin mining and staking timing, a $10 gas-fee exemption, wash-sale rule extension to cryptocurrency, and stablecoin tax treatment.

🇨🇭 June 23–25, 2026 — Point Zero Forum 2026, Zürich — Regulators, policymakers, and innovators discuss AI in finance, digital assets, and cross-border payments; watch for input from Adam Back and stablecoin executives on policy direction.

🇬🇧 June 24, 2026 — Global Blockchain and Crypto Symposium 2026, London — Experts examine global cryptocurrency regulations, tokenization of real-world assets, stablecoins versus other assets, and legal developments affecting the digital asset ecosystem.

🌎 June 24–25, 2026 — FinTech Summit Africa 2026, Sandton — African leaders explore agentic AI, stablecoins, CBDCs, DeFi, tokenization, and real-time payments shaping the continent’s digital financial services.

🏛 June 24–26, 2026 — Permissionless IV 2026, New York — Builders shift focus to applications with a dedicated Bitcoin track on BTC supremacy, network scaling, and institutional and nation-state adoption, plus DeFi and AI sessions.

🇨🇭 June 26, 2026 — Le Paradigme Bitcoin 2026, Neuchâtel — Bitcoin-specific gathering in French-speaking Switzerland featuring specialized conferences, privacy sessions, workshops, and networking for experts and builders.

🏛 June 26, 2026 — BFC in NYC 2026, New York — Institutional Bitcoin symposium for corporations on Bitcoin as a treasury asset; includes case studies and peer exchange on legal, financial, and practical adoption.

🇺🇸 June 22–28, 2026 (ongoing) — CFTC/SEC joint comment period on swap definitions — Open window for public input on classifying cryptocurrency and prediction market products as swaps or futures following the CME lawsuit over Bitcoin perpetual futures.

“Money has not been generated by law. In its origin it is a social, and not a state institution.” — Carl Menger

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