Blockchain Group in North Carolina Urges Senator Thom Tillis to Prioritize CLARITY Act in Senate Banking Committee Agenda

North Carolina’s blockchain industry group is urging Senator Thom Tillis to advance the Clarity Act, warning that a proposed ban on stablecoin yields by the state’s banking association could push crypto capital offshore and harm collaboration between the state’s technology and banking sectors.

NC Blockchain wrote to Sen. Thom Tillis urging him to move the Clarity Act forward and warned that a North Carolina Bankers Association campaign for a total ban on stablecoin yields could drive crypto capital offshore. The industry group said the banks’ push misrepresents local financial institutions and risks undermining collaboration between the state’s tech and banking sectors.

The Clarity Act draft negotiated by Tillis and Sen. Angela Alsobrooks bans passive yields while permitting activity-based rewards, such as transaction-linked incentives or loyalty program tokens. The North Carolina Bankers Association has urged banks to contact Tillis’s office to oppose the current compromise, arguing even permitted activity-based rewards would cause deposit outflows to stablecoins. The association has targeted Tillis because he is a key Republican negotiator and represents a state where many community banks are headquartered.

Tillis has recommended postponing the Senate Banking Committee markup until May 2026. Crypto trade groups and firms including Coinbase say legislative clarity is overdue, noting more than 270 days have passed since the House passed its version of the bill. Lawmakers including Sen. Cynthia Lummis and Sen. Bernie Moreno have warned further delays could push the measure past the 2026 legislative window.

At an April 22 event Moreno said the Clarity Act must clear Congress by the end of May; Polymarket odds for passage in 2026 rose from 38% to 46% after his statement.