[DigitalToday reporter Hyunwoo Choo (추현우)] At a plenary meeting of the National Assembly’s Political Affairs Committee on March 31, the ruling and opposition parties jointly pressed the Financial Services Commission over delays in proposing the government bill for the Digital Asset Framework Act. They cited a clause restricting post-ownership stakes of major shareholders in digital asset exchanges as the cause of the delay. They said bipartisan agreement began to unravel when an unprecedented stake-restriction item was suddenly added to discussions that had initially focused on who would issue stablecoins.

• Government bill for Digital Asset Framework Act remains missing... ruling and opposition parties strongly criticize FSC

The FSC had originally set the first quarter of this year as its target and planned to finalize an agreement after consultations between the government and the ruling party in early April. Those talks were postponed indefinitely as the commission focused its capabilities on responding to a financial crisis originating in the Middle East. Political circles say passage in the first half is effectively difficult, and that constitutional disputes and differences between the ruling and opposition parties have combined to make even passage in the National Assembly plenary session within the year uncertain.

• U.S. Senate to review Clarity Act in late April... 'stablecoin interest' becomes stumbling block • Tether smiles and Circle cries after a single blow banning stablecoin interest • Scenario in which Clarity Act fails... concerns raised over possible 'contraction' of U.S. crypto industry

The U.S. Senate set late April for committee review of the Clarity Act. Coinbase again objected to a clause banning interest on stablecoin balances. With the likelihood of the Clarity Act passing within the year put at about one-third, a clash between Coinbase and the banking sector is emerging as a variable.

As the Clarity bill explicitly bans stablecoin interest and shares of Circle and Coinbase plunged, Tether gained a more favorable position in the market because its existing policy does not change. DeFi protocols are emerging as a new alternative by offering stablecoin yields even amid regulatory uncertainty.

If the Clarity Act does not pass, there is a high likelihood the U.S. government could crack down on the crypto industry in the future. The bill includes protections for crypto developers, but it stalled in the Senate due to differences among banks, crypto firms and political circles.

• U.S. Labor Department releases draft rule that could allow crypto and PE investment in 401(k)s

The U.S. Labor Department released a draft rule allowing investment in alternative assets such as cryptocurrencies and private equity (PE) in 401(k) plans. The key is to reduce litigation risk by clarifying trustee immunity and review procedures. The proposal completed OIRA review last week and is set to enter the public comment stage.

• Quantum attack scenario targeting bitcoin's 'real-time trading'... Google says "steal within 9 minutes" • Bitcoin quantum risk raised by Google... quantum-resistant coin QRL surges 40 percent

Google analyzed that the quantum resources needed to decrypt bitcoin and ethereum could be less than previously expected. As the possibility of real-time attacks targeting the moment of a transaction has been raised, concerns are growing that quantum threats could become reality sooner than expected. In this regard, a Google-Caltech paper increased worries that the bitcoin and ethereum cryptographic systems could be broken with fewer qubits. Bitcoin was weak, but 'quantum-resistant' QRL jumped 40 percent.

• Dunamu says it will pursue IPO as soon as merger with Naver Financial is completed

Dunamu said it would accelerate an initial public offering in line with the timing when comprehensive stock-swap procedures with Naver Financial are completed. It also said it has sufficient funds to respond to the possibility of large-scale exercise of appraisal rights that could arise during the merger process, showing confidence.

• Turning your life around with even 1,000 XRP... 'sell timing' determines investment success or failure • Can you turn your life around with 1,000 XRP?... first check the market-cap reality

Analysis that XRP investment outcomes depend more on sell timing and exit strategies than on holdings is spreading. Even 1,000 XRP can generate meaningful profits if prices reach the $5 to $50 range in a rising market, but prices above $100 are seen as unrealistic. The key is not predicting the peak but realizing gains in stages and avoiding the mistake of giving back profits.

Criticism of the 1,000 XRP investment thesis is also strong. An argument emerged that expecting retirement or becoming a millionaire with only 1,000 XRP amounts to relying on excessive pricing. As views continue that operating strategies such as increasing positions and selling in tranches matter more than holdings, Ripple’s strategy and future XRP price moves are drawing attention.

• Bitcoin stays rangebound at $60,000 to $70,000 for a second month... why • No more major crashes for bitcoin... "a completely different market led by institutions" • The rule that gold rises in war is broken... can bitcoin as 'digital gold' be an alternative

Bitcoin has been moving within a $60,000 to $70,000 range for 2 months. Futures leverage is driving prices, and rebounds are short as spot buying and demand from short-term holders are weak. Another analysis says massive inflows into spot bitcoin ETFs by Wall Street institutions mean bitcoin has moved away from a retail-driven speculative market and entered a fully mature structure. It is also assessed that large institutional capital has built a solid support line, sharply lowering the likelihood of a repeat of extreme crash conditions.

Separately, as gold prices, a traditional safe asset, have not risen but instead fallen even amid geopolitical crises, attention is focused on whether bitcoin will establish itself as a true 'digital gold' to replace it. Its ability to store value as a decentralized asset not bound by borders and controls has been put to the test.

• Ripple CEO says "Stablecoins will have a ChatGPT moment for crypto" • Stablecoin circulation speed doubles in 2 years... Standard Chartered report

Ripple’s CEO said the stablecoin the company is preparing will bring disruptive innovation comparable to the emergence of ChatGPT in the mainstreaming of cryptocurrencies once it is fully launched. He expressed strong ambition that a payment system linked to fiat currency will innovatively replace outdated traditional financial infrastructure.

The monthly average turnover of stablecoins rose to about 6 times, doubling in 2 years. A Standard Chartered report said Circle’s dollar-pegged stablecoin USDC in particular led substitution for payments and traditional finance and the spread of AI payments.