Welcome to the sixth issue of The Bitcoin Act, where every Tuesday and Sunday we track the legal and regulatory moves that actually shape Bitcoin — cutting through noise, narratives, and theater.

Now for today’s top stories:

💼 SEC–CFTC Cooperation on the Rise
Howard Fischer says 2026 will deepen SEC–CFTC collaboration on tokenization, exemptions, and 24/7 markets, ending years of turf wars—but implementation will be complex.

📈 Bitcoin as Compliance Gateway
Brandon Kae and Ivan Wu note record BTC mentions in SEC filings show institutions now use bitcoin as the regulatory bridge into crypto.

🌍 Bitcoin Meets Geopolitics
Vladimir Putin claims the U.S. floated using a Ukrainian nuclear-plant stake for crypto mining, signaling bitcoin’s potential geopolitical role, though economic motives remain murky.

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Howard Fischer thinks 2026 will deepen SEC–CFTC cooperation, ending years of regulatory turf wars. He says joint action on tokenization, exemptions, and 24/7 markets finally aligns crypto oversight with market reality, but implementation remains complex.

Brandon Kae and Ivan Wu think soaring Bitcoin mentions in SEC filings show institutions now treat BTC as the regulatory bridge into crypto. They argue legislative clarity pulled capital on-chain, cementing Bitcoin as finance’s primary compliance gateway.

Vladimir Putin claims the U.S. floated using a proposed Ukrainian nuclear-plant stake for crypto mining. If accurate, he argues it signals Bitcoin’s geopolitical utility, though diplomatic motives remain far murkier than any mining economics.

The Block published : Crypto's 12 biggest stories of 2025: From Trump's policies to bitcoin all-time highs, OG whale moves, a DAT craze and the $1.4 billion Bybit hack.

Kevin Wysocki says Congress has only a coin-flip chance to pass comprehensive legislation in 2026. He believes bipartisan talks matter, yet competing interests over banks, stablecoins, and DeFi keep consensus fragile before midterms.

Mark Karpelès thinks Bitcoin’s greatest risk is believing in people, not math. He says the Mt. Gox collapse taught him decentralization isn’t protection if power concentrates in custodians, ETFs, or charismatic industry figures.

Hester Peirce wonders how exchanges and broker-dealers can realistically prove “possession” of crypto asset securities. She says custody guidance advances clarity, but unresolved auditor, key-control, and stock-record issues strain legacy rules to breaking point.

Chainalysis analysts say 2025 proved regulation is shifting from drafting to implementation, exposing frictions in MiCA, stablecoin rules, tokenization pilots, and AML systems. They think 2026 will focus less on “what rules exist” and more on “who can comply at scale”.

🌍 267 crypto M&A deals were completed in 2025, totaling $8.6 billion, a fourfold increase vs. 2024, driven by regulatory shifts and institutional confidence. FT

📊 ~$3.1 trillion was the global crypto market size recently reported, with Bitcoin alone representing about $1.8 trillion of that value. Reuters

🔍 Binance internal data showed suspicious account activity worth ~$1.7 billion in transactions post-compliance deal, underlining ongoing legal scrutiny. FT

“The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.” — John Stuart Mill

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