How the CLARITY Act (H.R. 3633) Just Made Crypto Merchant Accounts Way Easier in 2026

The regulatory fog just lifted.

For years, crypto merchants operated in a compliance nightmare. Nobody knew who regulated what. The SEC said one thing. The CFTC said another. State regulators threw their own rules into the mix.

That confusion just ended.

The CLARITY Act (H.R. 3633) passed in late 2025 and went into effect January 2026. It's the most significant crypto legislation in U.S. history. And it's a game-changer for merchants accepting digital payments.

Here's what you need to know.

What the CLARITY Act Actually Does

The Act does something simple but revolutionary: it draws clear lines.

CFTC gets exclusive jurisdiction over digital commodity spot markets. Bitcoin, Ethereum, and most established cryptocurrencies fall here. No more regulatory turf wars.

SEC keeps jurisdiction over investment contract assets. Securities tokens and investment products stay with the SEC. Clean separation.

Stablecoins get a clear regulatory pathway. "Permitted payment stablecoins" now have defined standards. This is huge for merchants who want price stability without banking headaches.

DeFi developers and validators get safe harbor protections. If you're building decentralized payment infrastructure, you're not automatically classified as a money transmitter.

State laws get preempted for digital commodities. No more navigating 50 different state frameworks. Federal law takes precedence.

Why Merchants Should Care

Before 2026, setting up a crypto merchant account was painful.

You needed lawyers. Compliance officers. State-by-state money transmitter licenses. The cost alone kept most small and medium businesses away from crypto payments.

The CLARITY Act changes the equation:

Lower compliance costs. One federal framework beats 50 state frameworks. Your legal bills just dropped 70%.

Faster account approval. Payment processors know exactly what regulations apply. No more months-long approval processes.

Stablecoin clarity. Accepting USDC or LUSD (Larecoin's stablecoin) is now as straightforward as accepting credit cards: but with way lower fees.

DeFi integration. Merchants can plug into decentralized payment rails without fear of regulatory backlash. Innovation just accelerated.

The Stablecoin Revolution for Merchants

Let's talk stablecoins.

The Act's "permitted payment stablecoin" framework is specifically designed for commercial transactions. That means merchants.

Requirements are clear:

• Reserve backing (1:1 with dollars or treasuries)

• Monthly attestations

• Redemption rights

• Consumer protections

But here's what merchants actually care about:

Instant settlement. No more 2-3 day ACH delays. Payment hits your wallet in seconds.

Zero chargeback fraud. Crypto transactions are final. That $15 billion annual chargeback problem? Gone.

Global reach without currency conversion. Customer in Tokyo pays with LUSD. You receive LUSD. No forex fees eating your margins.

Larecoin's LUSD stablecoin operates under this exact framework. Full regulatory compliance. Dollar-pegged stability. Built for merchant transactions.

How Larecoin Leverages the CLARITY Act Advantage

We built Larecoin's payment infrastructure with this regulatory clarity in mind.

LareBlocks Layer 1 blockchain operates as a digital commodity under CFTC jurisdiction. Clear legal status. No ambiguity.

LUSD stablecoin meets every "permitted payment stablecoin" requirement. Your customers pay with confidence. You receive payments with certainty.

Master/Sub-wallet architecture gives merchants complete control. Separate wallets for different locations, departments, or purposes. All under one dashboard.

NFT receipts provide immutable transaction records. Perfect for accounting, audits, and customer service. Regulatory compliance made visual.

Push-to-Card services let you convert crypto to fiat instantly. Need cash in your business checking account? Done in minutes.

The Fee Advantage Just Got Better

Regulatory clarity means competition.

More players can enter the market. Innovation accelerates. And merchants win.

Traditional crypto payment processors like NOWPayments, CoinPayments, and Triple-A charge 1-2% transaction fees. That's better than credit cards, but still substantial.

Larecoin charges 50% less.

Why? We built on our own Layer 1 infrastructure (LareBlocks). No middleman fees. No legacy system overhead. Direct blockchain-to-merchant settlement.

Lower fees weren't possible before the CLARITY Act. The regulatory uncertainty added compliance costs that got passed to merchants.

Now? We can operate lean and pass savings directly to you.

The B2B2C Metaverse Play

Here's where it gets interesting.

The Act's DeFi safe harbors enable something merchants never had before: direct participation in Web3 commerce ecosystems.

Larecoin's B2B2C metaverse combines:

• AI-powered shopping experiences that understand customer preferences

• Virtual storefronts with zero real estate costs

• NFT-based loyalty programs that customers actually own

• Cross-platform payment rails that work in-store, online, and in the metaverse

Before regulatory clarity, this was legally murky. Are virtual goods securities? Is metaverse commerce money transmission? Who regulates cross-platform transactions?

The CLARITY Act answers these questions. Virtual goods as digital commodities: CFTC jurisdiction. Payment processing: clear stablecoin framework. Smart contracts: DeFi safe harbor.

Legal certainty unlocks innovation.

Social Impact Meets Compliance

Larecoin's 1.5% charitable tax isn't just feel-good marketing.

Under the new regulatory framework, transparent on-chain giving creates powerful compliance benefits:

Audit trail perfection. Every transaction's charitable component is recorded immutably on LareScan (our blockchain explorer).

Tax advantages. Merchants can track and report charitable contributions automatically. CPA-ready records without manual bookkeeping.

Customer trust. In an era of regulatory scrutiny, transparent giving signals legitimate business operations.

The CLARITY Act enables this by treating blockchain-based charitable mechanisms as compliant transaction features: not securities offerings or unregulated investment schemes.

What This Means for Your Business in 2026

Let's get practical.

If you're a merchant considering crypto payments, the CLARITY Act removes your three biggest obstacles:

1. Legal uncertainty → Clear federal framework 2. High compliance costs → Standardized requirements 3. Limited stablecoin options → Regulated payment stablecoins

The playbook is simple:

Set up a Larecoin merchant account. Takes 15 minutes. Full KYB compliance built-in.

Choose your settlement preference. Keep crypto, convert to fiat, or split the difference.

Start accepting LARE tokens and LUSD stablecoin. Your customers get choice. You get certainty.

Tap into additional tools as needed. NFT receipts for luxury goods. Master/Sub-wallets for multi-location businesses. AI shopping for enhanced customer experience.

The Competitive Landscape Has Shifted

NOWPayments, CoinPayments, and Triple-A are solid processors.

But they're built on old infrastructure. Legacy systems. High overhead. Regulatory frameworks designed before the CLARITY Act.

Larecoin launched in 2025 specifically to leverage the coming regulatory clarity. We built native compliance into every layer:

• LareBlocks designed as a CFTC-jurisdictional digital commodity platform

• LUSD structured as a permitted payment stablecoin from day one

• Smart contracts utilizing DeFi safe harbor provisions

• Merchant tools meeting federal standards without state-by-state modifications

First-mover advantage is real. We're not retrofitting compliance. We're compliance-native.

Looking Forward

The CLARITY Act isn't the end of crypto regulation. It's the beginning of mature, functional oversight.

Expect refinements. Additional guidance. Evolving standards.

But the foundation is solid. Merchants now have a viable, legal path to accept cryptocurrency payments at scale.

The businesses that move first will capture market share. Early adopters always do.

Your customers are ready. Gen Z expects crypto payment options. Millennials prefer them. Even Boomers are warming up as regulatory legitimacy increases.

The infrastructure is ready. Larecoin's ecosystem provides everything you need: visit larecoin.com to explore merchant solutions.

The regulations are ready. The CLARITY Act removed the final barrier.

The only question: will your business lead or follow?

Set up your merchant account today. The crypto payment revolution just got regulatory approval.

And it's only getting started.