Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson recently criticized Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse in a January 18 video, focusing on what he framed as an industry push to accept the US Clarity Act on terms that would expand the Securities and Exchange Commission’s authority over new projects.
According to Hoskinson, the CLARITY Act can be useful to some companies while being the opposite for others. He went on to warn that blindly supporting the bill could confuse the public and also reduce growth in the crypto market.
Hoskinson said that “the law is not perfect, and favoring one company over another can backfire.”
🚨CHARLES HOSKINSON MOCKS XRP CEO & DRAFT BILL IN LATEST SUNDAY RANT
Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson criticized Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse in a latest video, taking aim at his support for the draft bill of the CLARITY Act. pic.twitter.com/4qKk7FTPtB
— Coin Bureau (@coinbureau) January 19, 2026
However, Garlinghouse has been backing the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act. In the video, Hoskinson acknowledged that Garlinghouse is acting from what he sees as genuine conviction.
“He’s being principled. That’s genuine passion and concern. He got into the space as a cypherpunk from the early days. He’s trying to support what this technology was meant to be about and for,” he said.
The XRP community has attacked Hoskinson for supposedly “crashing out,” arguing that he is undermining regulatory progress. Others have also backed this skeptical stance, reflecting the growing divide in industry opinion over the bill’s merits.
Crypto Industry Eyes Lawmakers on Market Structure Bill
The exchange between Hoskinson and Garlinghouse underscores how crypto policy has become more polarized as lawmakers weigh the Digital Asset Clarity Act. However, both sides agree that the stakes for US market structure, investor protection, and innovation are significant.
The CLARITY ACT was proposed to classify digital assets and provide regulatory clarity. This draft law is currently under discussion in the US to provide clearer rules for digital assets and cryptocurrencies.
However, the Senate Banking Committee delayed the markup of the crypto market structure bill after crypto exchange Coinbase publicly withdrew its support for the legislation on Wednesday, January 14, and the White House is now considering dropping support.
🚨SCOOP: The White House is considering pulling its support for the crypto market structure bill entirely if @coinbase does not come back to the table with a yield agreement that satisfies the banks and gets everyone to a deal, a source close to the Trump administration tells me.…
— Eleanor Terrett (@EleanorTerrett) January 17, 2026
Despite the delay, the Committee’s Chair, Tim Scott, reaffirmed that negotiations would continue in good faith, saying he had conversations with leaders across the crypto industry and the financial sector, as well as with both parties in Congress.
If enacted, the bills would become the first comprehensive federal statutes to offer a clear picture of the crypto market structure, thereby replacing reliance on regulatory guidance and litigation.
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