TLDR:
- The SEC and CFTC jointly classified XRP as a digital commodity, marking a first in U.S. regulatory history.
- A bipartisan Senate deal on stablecoin yield cleared the CLARITY Act’s biggest obstacle ahead of an April markup.
- Spot XRP ETFs pulled in over $1 billion in net inflows, while XRPL daily transactions hit a record 4 million.
- RWA tokenization on XRPL surged from $24.7 million in early 2025 to over $2 billion by March 2026.
Digital assets regulation in the United States reached a turning point in March 2026. The SEC and CFTC issued joint guidance classifying XRP and certain blockchain-based assets as digital commodities.
Three days later, a bipartisan Senate deal advanced the CLARITY Act past a key hurdle. Asheesh Birla, CEO of Evernorth, noted that markets transform only when technology, regulation, and capital align at the same time.
Washington’s Regulatory Moves Mark a Shift for Digital Assets
On March 17, the SEC and CFTC issued their first-ever joint digital assets guidance. It classified XRP and select assets as digital commodities under existing federal law.
That designation placed them outside the securities regulatory framework entirely. It was the federal government’s first formal acknowledgment of a separate category for specific blockchain-based assets.
Three days later, Senators Tillis and Alsobrooks struck a bipartisan deal on stablecoin yield. Their compromise cleared the obstacle blocking the CLARITY Act in the Senate.
A Banking Committee markup is now targeted for late April 2026. Together, the two events gave digital assets both regulatory definition and legislative momentum.
As Birla posted on X: “In the span of ten days last month, Washington did something the digital asset industry has waited a decade for.” He drew a parallel to the digitization of U.S. equity markets in the 1990s.
Electronic trading represented under 5% of NYSE volume early that decade. By 2009, nearly all equity trading had shifted to electronic platforms.
Regulation NMS, adopted by the SEC in 2005, served as the key regulatory catalyst in that transition. Once institutional capital committed, legacy systems were quickly displaced.
The global FX market followed an identical pattern after CLS launched in September 2002. Daily FX trading rose from $1.2 trillion in 2001 to $7.5 trillion by 2022.
Institutional Capital and On-Chain Activity Build Across XRPL
Capital flowing into XRP has accelerated at a pace not seen eighteen months ago. Spot XRP ETFs in the United States attracted more than $1 billion in net inflows after launching last year.
Daily transaction counts on XRPL recently reached a record 4 million. A Coinbase and EY survey found institutions plan to raise XRP allocations from 18% to 25% in 2026.
Stablecoins carry approximately $300 billion in circulating supply across blockchain networks. Tokenized real-world assets on XRPL grew from $24.7 million in early 2025 to over $2 billion by March 2026.
U.S. Treasuries and credit instruments are among the assets now settled on public blockchains. Capital is moving through regulated, on-chain instruments rather than speculative positions.
The XRP Ledger hosts roughly 27,000 automated market maker pools. XRP pairs account for 92% of all DEX trade routing on the network.
On-ledger lending, stablecoin issuance, and tokenized asset transfers are all operational. The financial stack on XRPL is functional and expanding in scope.
Evernorth holds XRP and plans to deploy it into XRPL’s growing financial infrastructure. Following its business combination with Armada Acquisition Corp. II, it expects to list on Nasdaq.
The company offers institutional investors governed, active treasury management — not passive price exposure alone. It is designed to be a structured entry point into on-chain finance.
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Source: https://blockonomi.com/how-ten-days-in-washington-changed-the-regulatory-landscape-for-xrp-and-digital-assets/
