Laws move slower than markets. But they hit harder. This is issue #48 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 Pushes CLARITY Act
Senator Cynthia Lummis said she joined the Senate to scale Wyoming’s Bitcoin framework nationwide through the CLARITY Act.

🏛️ Bitcoin Reserve Backed
Congressman Pat Harrigan argued a U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve would secure America like gold and outpace adversaries.

📜 South Carolina Signs S.163
Governor Henry McMaster signed S.163, protecting Bitcoin self-custody, payments, and mining while banning state CBDC use.

Congressman Nick Begich (U.S. Representative, Republican — Alaska) said he is introducing legislation to establish a U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, a government stockpile of Bitcoin for national financial security, with bipartisan support and more than 20 co-sponsors in Congress.

ECB President Christine Lagarde (European Central Bank) warned EU finance ministers that easing euro stablecoin rules would weaken banks by destabilizing funding and interest-rate transmission, pushing back against loosening liquidity requirements for issuers.

Governor Henry McMaster (Governor of South Carolina, Republican) signed S.163, which analysts described as creating one of the strongest state-level protections for Bitcoin users by safeguarding self-custody, mining, and payments while blocking any state involvement in central bank digital currency.

Congressman Pat Harrigan (U.S. Representative, Republican — North Carolina) argued that a U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve could strengthen America’s position, similar to historic gold reserves, by helping secure long-term financial competitiveness and positioning the United States at the forefront of emerging digital asset strategy.

Senator Cynthia Lummis (U.S. Senator, Republican — Wyoming) said she came to the U.S. Senate to scale Wyoming’s self-built framework for digital assets through her CLARITY Act bill rather than slow it down.

The US Federal Reserve (U.S. central bank) seeks public input on expanding master account access, which grants direct entry to its payments system, following a Trump executive order to integrate digital assets into traditional finance.

The US House Financial Services subcommittee (U.S. Congress) heard mixed testimony on reforming the Bank Secrecy Act, a U.S. law requiring banks to file mass financial surveillance reports on customers without warrants.

DecentraSuze (Bitcoin policy institute UK) said the UK is lumping Bitcoin in with meme coins and NFTs because the FCA's one-size-fits-all rules treat Bitcoin like a coin spun up in a bedroom.

Representative Mike Rulli (U.S. Representative, Republican — Ohio) said there will only ever be 21 million Bitcoin while governments can print unlimited money, so Bitcoin’s fixed supply is why he supports Rep. Nick Begich’s ARMA Act recognizing Bitcoin’s strategic importance.

Congressman Barry Moore (U.S. Representative, Republican — Alabama) warned that foreign rivals are already taking digital assets seriously. "Washington has ignored the reality that digital assets are becoming a major part of the global economy while countries like China move aggressively to gain an advantage," Moore said.

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🇺🇸 $500M – US authorities froze $500 million tied to Iranian crypto transactions by pressuring exchanges to block sanctioned activity. CryptoBriefing

🇦🇺 July 1, 2026 – Binance users in Australia must provide sender and recipient identities for all Bitcoin transfers starting July 1. Bitcoin News

🇮🇪 1,000 BTC – Irish authorities recovered 1,000 Bitcoin worth $73 million from convicted drug dealer Clifton Collins this year. Bitcoin News

🇰🇷 50,000 – South Korea must review scrapping its planned 22% cryptocurrency tax after 50,000 citizens signed a petition. The Block

🇮🇹 €1 million – Italian investigators uncovered €1 million in undeclared Bitcoin Ordinals profits linked to one seized Ledger wallet. Bitcoin News

🇸🇪 May 26–27, 2026 — Nordic Blockchain Conference 2026, Stockholm — BlackRock, JPMorgan, and regulators discuss MiCA implementation, tax policy, fraud prevention, and European market compliance.

🇺🇸 May 26, 2026 — US Federal Reserve M2 money supply release — Bitcoin investors track dollar liquidity growth because expanding money supply historically boosts scarce asset demand.

🇦🇹 May 27, 2026 — Bitcoin++ Vienna Economics Edition, Vienna — Economists, academics, and developers examine Bitcoin incentives, free markets, and open marketplace protocols built on Bitcoin.

🇨🇭 May 27–28, 2026 — Crypto Valley Conference 2026, Rotkreuz — Swiss academics, regulators, and financial firms debate stablecoins, tokenization, CBDCs, and institutional cryptocurrency regulation. 

🇻🇳 May 28–29, 2026 — Unchained Summit Vietnam, Da Nang — Vietnamese government-backed summit focuses on Southeast Asian cryptocurrency regulation and integrating traditional finance with digital asset markets.

🇨🇦 May 28, 2026 — Toronto Blockchain Expo, Toronto — Canadian policymakers and firms discuss stablecoins, tokenization, and Canada’s developing national cryptocurrency regulatory framework.

🇳🇱 May 28, 2026 — CMS International Crypto Forum 2026, Amsterdam — Lawyers from 15 jurisdictions examine MiCA developments and cross-border cryptocurrency compliance rules for financial institutions.

🇬🇧 May 29, 2026 — Bitcoin Treasuries Unconference UK, Bristol — Corporate treasury executives and Bitcoin firms discuss holding Bitcoin as reserve capital on company balance sheets.

🇭🇷 May 31, 2026 — Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller panel, Dubrovnik Economic Conference — Waller discusses stablecoins and monetary policy overlap as US lawmakers debate digital dollar regulation.

🇪🇺 May 20 to Aug. 31, 2026 — European Commission MiCA consultation deadline — EU regulators are reviewing whether MiCA rules still fit evolving Bitcoin and cryptocurrency markets before July 2026 licensing enforcement.

“I don’t believe we shall ever have a good money again before we take the thing out of the hands of government, that is, we can’t take it violently out of the hands of government, all we can do is by some sly roundabout way introduce something that they can’t stop.” — Friedrich Hayek

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