Waters Runs for U.S. House Financial Services Committee Chair... Proposes Virtual Asset Rules

Representative Maxine Waters has entered the race for the next chair of the U.S. House Financial Services Committee, pledging “strict but fair” rules for legitimate crypto businesses and new oversight of prediction markets. In a letter to Democratic colleagues, she paired that crypto and prediction-market agenda with protections for consumers, small businesses, community banks, and the financial system. The crypto and prediction-market items were reported by Politico, while Reuters covered her bid and the contest with Sean Casten. The move matters because the committee sets the legislative path for U.S. digital-asset rules, and Waters has previously pressed for legislation barring President Trump’s crypto-related conflicts of interest alongside clear rules for lawful firms. What to watch next is whether her bid succeeds and how the committee’s crypto and prediction-market priorities take shape under the next chair.