Crypto Today: CBDC Ban Nears Law as Ethereum Cuts Staff

Key Insights:

• Crypto today tracked a CBDC ban moving toward Trump.
• Ethereum Foundation cut staff under a leaner funding plan.
• Agustín Carstens backed coexistence between fiat and stablecoins.

Crypto today is centered on U.S. legislation, Ethereum governance, and stablecoin policy. The House passed a housing bill with a CBDC ban, while the Ethereum Foundation cuts deepened restructuring pressure.

Source: CryptoQuant

The moves came as Washington tightened its stance on digital dollars. In parallel, Ethereum’s main nonprofit reduced costs, and a former Bank for International Settlements chief shifted tone on stablecoins.

Crypto Today: CBDC Ban Clears Congress

The U.S. House voted 358-32 on Tuesday to pass the housing affordability bill. That move followed the Senate’s 85-5 approval a day earlier. The bill barred the Federal Reserve from issuing a central bank digital currency. It also blocked any digital asset substantially similar to one.

The clause expires on Dec. 31, 2030. That deadline gave lawmakers a fixed window for digital dollar limits.

Source: US Senate Banking Committee GOP

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott framed the vote as a housing win. He said Congress acted for families working toward homeownership.

Reuters reported that the bill aimed to ease construction and affordability pressures. The measure also targeted regulatory delays tied to new housing supply.

Axios reported that the legislation carried a crypto-related provision against a digital dollar. That provision turned a housing package into a digital policy fight.

The House vote sent the bill to President Donald Trump. He was expected to sign it after congressional leaders cleared the path. However, Reuters later reported that Trump canceled the scheduled signing. The report said he linked action to a separate voting bill.

That delay created a procedural risk for the housing measure. Still, the bill had already cleared both chambers by wide margins.

Crypto Today: Ethereum Foundation Cuts Staff

The Ethereum Foundation laid off 54 employees during a broad restructuring. The nonprofit said the move supported Ethereum’s long-term development.

The Defiant reported that the cuts affected roughly 20% of the workforce. The action marked the foundation’s clearest austerity step this cycle.

Source: Vitalik Buterin

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin had outlined a smaller operating model. He said the foundation planned to cut its budget by 40%. Buterin also said annual spending would fall from 15% of remaining funds. The target moved toward 5% after the next funding phase.

That shift pointed toward an endowment-style model. It also forced the foundation to reduce programs and headcount. The nonprofit reorganized around protocol work, access, users, community, and institutions. Those groups replaced a looser structure across internal teams.

The foundation named scaling, privacy, security, and censorship resistance as priorities. That focus matched long-running technical demands from Ethereum developers. The cuts followed a series of senior departures. Hsiao-Wei Wang resigned as co-executive director last week.

This restructuring raised new questions about Ethereum’s governance layer. The foundation still holds influence through funding, coordination, and public messaging.

Ethereum builders often favored neutral infrastructure over corporate direction. The latest cuts tested that balance during a harder funding period.

Crypto Today: Stablecoin Tone Shifts

Former Bank for International Settlements general manager Agustín Carstens softened his stance on stablecoins. He spoke during the Point Zero Forum in Zurich.

Carstens said stablecoins could support innovation, inclusion, and lower costs. He also said fiat money and stablecoins should coexist.

That view marked a clear shift from his previous position. During his BIS tenure, Carstens often criticized crypto-linked money.

In a January 2022 speech, he questioned stablecoins as sound money. He argued that issuers could chase returns through risky reserve choices.

Carstens kept financial stability concerns in view. He said global coordination still lagged behind the development of the stablecoin market.

His successor, Pablo Hernández de Cos, took a colder position in April. He said stablecoins faced structural limits as money.

That split showed a wider debate among central bankers. Some officials accepted regulated stablecoins, while others favored bank money rails.

The U.S. CBDC ban also sharpened that policy divide. Washington moved against a digital dollar while stablecoin rules gained traction.

For crypto today, the next marker was Trump’s decision on the housing bill. A signature would formalize the CBDC ban and extend the stablecoin policy debate.

The post Crypto Today: CBDC Ban Nears Law as Ethereum Cuts Staff appeared first on The Coin Republic.