The bill was a significant step toward giving the cryptocurrency industry the credibility and legitimacy it has sought, without limitations it has worked to head off.

The Senate passed first-of-its-kind bipartisan cryptocurrency legislation, called the GENIUS Act, after months of negotiations and weeks of back-and-forth between Democratic and Republican backers. The final tally was 68-30,

The total market capitalization of stablecoins surged to a record high on Wednesday, data showed, as the U.S. Senate passed a bill to regulate the sector, a major step towards legitimising a once-niche but now fast-growing corner of the crypto market.