Coinbase's Brian Armstrong Rejects White House Rift Claims as CLARITY Act Markup Delayed

On January 17, 2026, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong publicly disputed reports of a clash with the White House over the CLARITY Act, stating that the administration has been constructive while confirming talks on a potential yield arrangement with banks. Coinbase had earlier pulled its backing for the bill over fears it could weaken DeFi, halt tokenized stock trading, and prevent sharing stablecoin yields with users, as the Senate Banking Committee postponed the bill's markup to extend negotiations with the crypto sector.