Hello Bitcoiners,

Welcome to issue #35 of The Bitcoin Act, where every Tuesday and Sunday we track the legal and regulatory moves that actually shape Bitcoin, cutting through noise, narratives, and theater.

Now for today’s top stories:

🔐 SEC Safe Harbor Heads to White House
SEC Chair Paul Atkins confirmed the proposed safe harbor framework for new Bitcoin projects has reached the White House for final review.

🏛️ Senate Eyes CLARITY Act Vote in April
Senator Bill Hagerty announced the Senate Banking Committee could advance the long-stalled CLARITY Act as early as April.

⛏️ Arkansas Protects Home Bitcoin Miners
Arkansas introduced SR7 to sharply limit local governments from banning or restricting home Bitcoin mining and small-scale operations.

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USA

SEC Safe Harbor Proposal Heads to White House

SEC Chair Paul Atkins announced that the agency’s proposed safe harbor framework for new crypto projects has been sent to the White House for final review. The proposal includes a four-year “startup exemption” that would let teams raise capital with clear disclosures while avoiding immediate full registration, plus an innovation exemption designed as a regulatory sandbox for on-chain tools.

In your daily life, this means more sovereign Bitcoin tools, stronger wallets, better Lightning wallets, and privacy layers, will actually be built in America instead of fleeing offshore out of regulatory fear. You’ll get higher-quality, more freedom-focused tools, with far less risk that a useful project suddenly gets destroyed by an SEC enforcement action.

Senate Banking Committee Eyes CLARITY Act Vote in April

Senator Bill Hagerty stated that the Senate Banking Committee could advance the long-stalled CLARITY Act as early as April. The bill would divide oversight between the SEC and CFTC, clarify self-custody rights, and set clearer rules for spot Bitcoin markets.

For Bitcoin holders, this Act is the most important market structure bill right now. It aims to create clear federal rules by dividing oversight between the CFTC (for Bitcoin as a commodity) and the SEC, while explicitly protecting self-custody rights. For everyday stackers, this would reduce the gray area that allows regulators to threaten or reinterpret rules at any time. It would make it harder for agencies to treat your personal wallet or node as a regulated entity, lead to more predictable enforcement, and give clearer legal ground when you buy, hold, move, or spend your sats.

Arkansas Protects Home Bitcoin Miners

Arkansas introduced SR7, a bill that would amend the state’s Data Centers Act and sharply limit local governments’ power to restrict or ban home Bitcoin mining and small-scale operations. The legislation clarifies that home miners only need to follow existing noise, utility, and tax rules and cannot be forced to get special permits.

For Bitcoiners who run a node or miner at home, this is real protection. Local busybodies or HOAs will have much less power to shut you down, letting you mine sats quietly and contribute to the network’s hashrate without constant legal harassment. In everyday life it means you can keep your home setup running, earn more sats from your own electricity, and strengthen Bitcoin’s decentralization without looking over your shoulder every time the city council meets.

Worldwide

🚨 IEA Warns of Historic Energy Crisis
The International Energy Agency chief declared the current global energy disruption is more serious than the combined crises of 1973, 1979, and 2002.

🇰🇷🇫🇷 SK & France Central Banks Hold Seminar
South Korea and France central banks held a joint seminar on Bitcoin and digital assets and their growing impact on the global monetary system.

🇨🇳 China Urges Blockchain for SME Lending
China’s tax authority is pushing banks to adopt blockchain technology to increase lending to small businesses and close information gaps.

🇷🇼 Rwanda Rejects Bybit RWF P2P
Rwanda’s Central Bank warned that Bitcoin and crypto remain unauthorized for payments or trading in Rwandan Franc after Bybit launched RWF on its P2P platform.

🌍 IMF Warns on Tokenization Risks
The IMF warned that tokenization could amplify market volatility through automated smart contracts and called for stronger global legal frameworks.

🇦🇺 Australia Passes Landmark Bitcoin Law
Australia passed comprehensive legislation requiring all Bitcoin exchanges and custodians to obtain full financial services licenses and meet strict capital and custody rules.

🇯🇵 Japan Approves Crypto Tax Reform
Japan passed reforms shifting Bitcoin taxation to a flat 20.315% rate from 2028 with a three-year loss carryforward, moving away from the old 55% miscellaneous income tax.

🇷🇺 Russia Formalizes Bitcoin Market
Russia introduced three new bills to legalize and regulate Bitcoin transactions, set annual purchase limits for non-qualified investors, and mandate tax reporting.

🇮🇳 India Sends Tax Notices to Bitcoin Traders
Indian tax authorities are issuing reassessment notices to Bitcoin traders for unreported activity from earlier years, using automated systems to flag discrepancies.

🇭🇰 Hong Kong Delays Stablecoin Licensing Rollout
Hong Kong has not issued any HKD stablecoin licenses after missing its March target, raising concerns about regulatory delays and strict approval standards.

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Quote of the day ⚖️

“I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.” Thomas Jefferson

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Regards,

— Satoshi’s Lawyer

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