NOBLE endorses Clarity Act, counters ‘crypto helps criminals’ narrative

For years, the go-to argument against crypto regulation has been a simple one: digital assets help criminals. Now, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) is saying the opposite, that clear regulation actually gives law enforcement better tools to fight crime, not fewer.

NOBLE’s endorsement of the Digital Asset Market CLARITY Act makes it the first major law enforcement organization in the US to publicly back crypto-specific legislation. In a letter to Senate leaders dated around July 1, the group threw its weight behind a bill that Senators Cynthia Lummis and Tim Scott are pushing toward a full Senate vote before the August recess.

What the Clarity Act actually does

The Clarity Act already passed the House with bipartisan support and cleared the Senate Banking Committee, which puts it further along than most crypto bills ever get.

At its core, the bill tries to solve a problem that has plagued the industry for years: nobody knows which agency regulates what. The legislation draws clearer lines around digital asset classification and oversight, giving both market participants and regulators a shared rulebook to work from.

The bill also integrates provisions from the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act, known as BRCA. That piece protects non-custodial blockchain developers from being treated like financial institutions. In English: if you write code for a decentralized protocol but never hold anyone’s funds, you shouldn’t need a money transmitter license.

On the law enforcement side, the Clarity Act aims to enhance tools for combating money laundering and unlicensed money transmission. It does this without stripping existing criminal enforcement powers, a point that NOBLE’s President Reneé Hall emphasized in her endorsement.

Reneé Hall stated that the act “presents critical capabilities for law enforcement while maintaining existing criminal enforcement powers.”

The law enforcement split

NOBLE’s endorsement didn’t happen in a vacuum. It lands against a backdrop of opposition from other law enforcement organizations, including the National Sheriffs’ Association and the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Those groups have raised concerns about potential crime gaps that clearer crypto regulation might create.

The timing is deliberate. With Lummis and Scott pushing for a Senate floor vote in early July, NOBLE’s letter serves as political cover for senators who might otherwise hesitate to vote yes on anything with “crypto” in the title.

Why this matters for the market

The BRCA provisions protecting non-custodial developers are significant for the builder side of the ecosystem. DeFi protocols have operated under a cloud of legal uncertainty for years, with developers worried that writing open-source code could somehow make them money transmitters.

For traders and investors watching this play out, the key date to circle is early July, when the Senate vote is expected.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.