Crypto critic Elizabeth Warren set to chair U.S. Senate Banking Committee
Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, known for her tough stance on the cryptocurrency industry, is in line to become chair of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee. Following the Democrats' victory in the midterm elections, she will have an opportunity to increase oversight of financial companies and investigate alleged conflicts of interest involving Donald Trump's family.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Warren expects to take the position in January 2027. The new role would give her expanded powers, including the authority to demand documents and testimony as part of congressional investigations.
A final decision has not yet been made. However, most observers consider the emergence of a serious challenger unlikely, despite the return of former committee chair Sherrod Brown to the Senate.
Crypto companies and prediction markets face increased scrutiny
Warren's initial priorities are expected to include investigations into alleged insider trading on prediction markets, reviews of financial companies' compliance with consumer protection requirements, and scrutiny of cryptocurrency platforms.
The senator intends to pay particular attention to potential conflicts of interest involving the Trump administration, financial institutions, and the president's family businesses.
Warren previously released a 41-page document containing questions for several major companies, including Capital One and Skydance, regarding their ties to the U.S. administration.
As committee chair, she would have the authority to issue compulsory requests for information and exercise greater oversight of financial regulators, including the SEC.
However, Warren has not ruled out cooperation with Republicans on certain issues. In particular, she has discussed credit card interest rate caps with Trump and supported initiatives to expand bank deposit insurance.
Democratic victory adds pressure on financial sector
The prospect of tighter regulation emerged amid a sell-off in U.S. stocks. On November 5, the S&P 500 fell 4.4%, while shares of major banks, including JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs, declined more than 4%.
The cryptocurrency market also came under pressure. Bitcoin fell below $76,000, while daily liquidations of traders' positions exceeded $1 billion.
Another factor behind the decline was a sell-off in shares of companies linked to artificial intelligence. Coinbase, Circle, and other cryptocurrency-related stocks lost a significant portion of their value as investors broadly moved away from risk assets.
Earlier, we reported that World Liberty Financial launched a WLFI token buyback program amid the cryptocurrency market downturn. The project announced measures to support its token as the sell-off in digital assets continued.