As Bitcoin touches $82K, Coinbase outperforms in crypto stocks while the Clarity Act advances in Congress.

Crypto markets climbed on Thursday after the Senate Banking Committee advanced the long-awaited Clarity Act, a digital asset market structure bill seen as a major step toward formal U.S. regulation of the industry.

The legislation passed the committee in a 15–9 vote, with support from two Democratic senators, and now moves to the full Senate for further debate and approval.

Bitcoin briefly rallied to $82,000 following the announcement as traders reacted to improving regulatory clarity in Washington. It later slipped to around $81,500, still holding a gain of roughly 2.5% on the day.

Crypto-related stocks also moved higher. Coinbase (COIN) led the sector with an 8% gain, as investors positioned for potential institutional inflows under a clearer regulatory framework. Strategy (MSTR) rose 7%, while Bitmine (BMNR), which focuses on Ethereum treasury exposure, added 5.6%.

Stablecoin issuer Circle (CRCL) and Bullish (BLSH), CoinDesk’s owner, both recovered from earlier losses, helping stabilize sentiment across digital asset equities.

The risk-on tone extended into traditional markets as well, with the Nasdaq 100 and S&P 500 both reaching fresh record highs.

Investor enthusiasm was further boosted by the strong public debut of AI chipmaker Cerebras (CBRS), which traded up to 100% above its IPO price, reinforcing momentum in artificial intelligence stocks.

That strength also carried over into related infrastructure names, particularly firms that have transitioned from Bitcoin mining into high-performance computing. Keel Infrastructure (KEEL), formerly Bitfarms, gained 9%, while IREN (IREN) advanced 5% and Hive Digital (HIVE) rose 8%, as capital continued rotating into AI-linked infrastructure plays.