The Weekly Validation
June 17, 2025
What happened. Why it matters. And what are we even talking about, anyway?
📊 Markets This Week
Bitcoin (BTC)
104,612.83
(-3.91%)
(-3.91%)
Ethereum (ETH)
2,515.02
(-8.35%)
(-8.35%)
Solana (SOL)
$148.46
(-5.85%)
(-5.85%)
Uber, Amazon, and Walmart Eye Stablecoins for Payments
Major U.S. companies are warming up to stablecoins — and quietly preparing for a crypto-integrated future.
Hot Take: These aren’t crypto companies — they’re real economy giants exploring stablecoins to solve real business problems. Once they move, payment rails shift, and traditional processors may struggle to keep up.
What is a Stablecoin?: A stablecoin is a type of digital dollar that doesn’t change value. It moves instantly, works across borders, and avoids credit card fees, making it attractive for global commerce and low-margin businesses.
CLARITY Act advances out of committee with overwhelming bipartisan support.
What happened: The House Agriculture Committee advanced the CLARITY Act, a crypto regulation bill, with a decisive 47–6 bipartisan vote.
Why it matters: It gives the CFTC more power, reins in the SEC, and creates more explicit market rules, but it still needs approval from the Financial Services Committee.
Hot Take: After the bill passed out of committee, President Trump rejected ethics amendments that would mirror campaign finance laws. Is this enough to get Democrats to walk away from the bill?
What is the CLARITY Act? The CLARITY Act defines which agency regulates crypto (SEC or CFTC), so the industry has clear rules. The prior administration was marked by inter-agency turf wars regarding which agency had jurisdiction over crypto, which was obviously a difficult situation for companies building in the industry.
In Case You Missed It
- The GENIUS Act, which mandates full dollar backing and audits for major stablecoin issuers, is headed to a final Senate vote today. Notably, under the bill, issuers like Walmart and Amazon would have difficulty launching a stablecoin.
- Stripe is acquiring crypto wallet company Privy. This is only months after Stripe acquired stablecoin issuer Bridge.
- JPMorgan filed a trademark for “JPMD,” which is believed to be the ticker for a soon-to-be-launched stablecoin.
Foundational Read of the Week
What it is:
A compelling essay from 20+ of Ethereum’s thought leaders, arguing that Ethereum isn’t just digital money — it’s the infrastructure layer of the internet economy, and ETH is the fuel that powers it all.
An Easy Analogy:
If Bitcoin is digital gold, this paper makes the strongest case yet for ETH as digital oil—a consumable, yield-generating, essential resource for the next Internet.
“ETH Has Trillion-Dollar Potential: Short-term target of $8,000; longer term, conservatively, ETH could reach $80,000+ as a monetary reserve/commodity asset.”
-Ethereum is Digital Oil
Quick Takeaways:
- Makes the case that ETH’s value comes from being consumed, like oil, not hoarded like gold.
- Lays out how Ethereum’s blockspace becomes more valuable as apps and protocols compete to use it.
- Shifts the investor mindset from “store of value” to “productive resource” — critical for understanding ETH’s long-term upside.
Don’t speculate. Validate.
—Validator Digital
—Validator Digital