🏦 Fed Enacts First Rate Hike Since 2023

The Federal Reserve unanimously raised its benchmark rate by 25 basis points to a target range of 3.75% to 4.00%, marking its first tightening move since 2023 amid persistent inflation and crude oil topping $100 per barrel. The widely anticipated hike defies direct pressure from Donald Trump and the White House for aggressive cuts. Cryptocurrencies traded defensively following the announcement, with Bitcoin swinging between $75,100 and $76,000 as markets gauge whether more hikes are expected in the year.

❌ Senate Blocks CLARITY Act

The US Senate failed to advance the CLARITY Act, falling well short of the 60 votes needed and effectively shelving the federal regulatory framework until at least 2027. Despite compromises on ethics restrictions for government officials, the bill faced fresh last minute resistance from 18 state attorneys general over concerns it would erode local enforcement against financial fraud.

📜 SEC Approves Innovation Exemption for Tokenized US Stock Trading

The US SEC has approved a temporary Innovation Exemption, allowing Tokenized Securities Venues (TSVs) to facilitate permissioned trading of tokenized NMS stocks via automated market makers and liquidity pools. According to Commissioner Mark Uyeda, the controlled framework enforces strict symbol and volume caps alongside mandatory public reporting on prices, trade sizes, timestamps, and pool reserves.