The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, unveiled March 2 by Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott and Senator Elizabeth Warren, includes a provision barring the Federal Reserve and its regional banks from issuing a retail central bank digital currency or any substantially similar digital asset until December 31, 2030, according to the bill text. The bipartisan package advanced in the Senate with an 84–6 procedural vote and has received White House support primarily for housing reforms aimed at expanding supply, improving affordability, and streamlining environmental reviews. The CBDC clause amends the Federal Reserve Act to prohibit the Fed from directly or indirectly issuing or creating a retail CBDC through financial institutions or other intermediaries, with the ban expiring at year-end 2030. The U.S. currently has no live retail CBDC pilots, and an executive order signed in January 2025 by President Donald Trump directed federal agencies not to establish, issue, or promote a CBDC.

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission chair indicated that perpetual futures products could be introduced in the United States, according to recent remarks in the Morning Minute update. The potential move would mark a significant step for U.S. derivatives markets as regulators weigh how to oversee perpetual contracts within the existing futures framework.

The Financial Action Task Force flagged anti-money laundering risks tied to peer-to-peer stablecoin transfers in its latest communication. FATF highlighted asset freeze capabilities and denylist mechanisms as potential risk-mitigation tools for such transactions.

Kraken has received approval for a Federal Reserve master account, making it the first cryptonative company with direct access to the Fed's core payments infrastructure, according to a report. The access allows Kraken to hold reserves and settle transactions via systems such as Fedwire without relying solely on intermediary banks. The approval, in process for five years, is expected to serve as a pilot for a proposed "skinny" master account model that would provide payments access without extending traditional bank lending privileges.

Kraken has reportedly obtained access to the U.S. Federal Reserve's core payment systems, according to the Wall Street Journal. The move would position the cryptocurrency exchange to interface more directly with key banking rails within the U.S. financial system.

South Korean regulators are putting forward a proposal to restrict major shareholders of cryptocurrency exchanges to a maximum 20% ownership stake in order to reinforce supervisory controls. The planned cap is aimed at tightening oversight of exchange governance and risk concentration through limits on large equity holders.

Kraken has secured approval for a Federal Reserve master account, becoming the first cryptocurrency platform to gain direct access to the Fed's core banking infrastructure. The approval positions Kraken uniquely among digital asset firms operating within the U.S. financial system.

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson said in a recent livestream that the proposed CLARITY Act could treat most new digital tokens as securities by default, expanding SEC oversight and imposing registration obligations from inception, while established assets such as XRP and ADA might avoid that designation under current draft language. He argued the framework lacks clear compliance paths for decentralized finance protocols like Uniswap and prediction markets, potentially restricting liquidity channels and token distribution models while leaving DeFi systems exposed to enforcement-based interpretations. Senate discussions on the bill and broader crypto rules remain stalled as banking groups and cryptocurrency firms fail to agree on treatment of stablecoin rewards, staking programs, and membership benefits despite a March 1 White House deadline, while the Senate Banking Committee weighs a new markup window in mid to late March and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency advances related digital asset rulemaking. Polymarket data show odds the CLARITY Act will be signed into law in 2026 rose to 74% from 65%, and at the time of writing Cardano (ADA) traded at $0.2646, down 2.16% in 24 hours, while XRP changed hands at $1.35.

Kraken's banking subsidiary, Kraken Financial, has been cleared by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City to open a master account at the Federal Reserve, giving the second-largest U.S. cryptocurrency exchange limited direct access to the central bank's payment system, according to cryptocurrency journalist Eleanor Terrett. The approval, granted five and a half years after Kraken filed its application in October 2020, allows the firm to access payment infrastructure, hold reserves and settle transactions in central bank funds but bars it from using Fed lending facilities, extending loans, tapping the discount window or operating as a traditional commercial bank. Sources cited in the report describe Kraken's status as a pilot program for this model, and note that the move is seen as historically significant for an industry long kept at arm's length from traditional banking and may spur additional master account applications, with Custodia Bank, Anchorage and Ripple's U.S. banking partner already having submitted requests.