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Bitcoin Rises As Trump Urges Congress To Advance Clarity Act

Bitcoin rose more than 5% to $72,383.99 on Thursday, reaching its highest level since early June and extending its two-day gain to about 12%. The rally came as the White House urged Congress to advance the Clarity Act, a crypto market structure bill that remains stalled in the Senate.

Bitcoin had traded near $63,000 earlier in the week. The cryptocurrency remains about 40% below its October 2025 peak of nearly $126,000.

Risk Appetite Returns To Crypto

A decline in Treasury yields on Wednesday helped lift demand for risk assets, including cryptocurrencies. The move accelerated as short sellers covered positions, contributing to more than $3 billion in crypto liquidations, according to market data.

Crypto-linked stocks also gained. Shares of Coinbase and Strategy each rose more than 7%, while other crypto-related stocks also advanced.

White House Pushes For Clarity Act Vote

The policy focus intensified after the White House hosted executives from major crypto companies, including Coinbase, Kraken and Robinhood. President Donald Trump urged Congress to pass what he called “a fair version” of the Clarity Act before the end of the year.

The legislation remains contested over ethics provisions. Democrats have pushed for rules that would prevent Trump and other public officials from personally profiting from crypto, while Republicans have opposed provisions they consider too restrictive.

Senate Vote Is The Next Test

The Clarity Act would establish a regulatory framework for digital assets and clarify the roles of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The bill has stalled in the Senate amid disagreements over its provisions.

The next major test is scheduled for Sept. 15, when the Senate is expected to hold a procedural vote. Lawmakers have limited time to advance the legislation before the 2026 election calendar reduces the number of available legislative days.

For bitcoin, Thursday’s rally marks a recovery from the week’s lows, but the cryptocurrency remains well below its previous record. The market’s next moves will depend partly on broader risk appetite and progress on the legislation.

Cyprus Expects More French Visitors In 2027 As Air Capacity Expands

Cyprus expects more French visitors in 2027 as airlines increase capacity between the two countries, Tourism Deputy Minister Kostas Koumis said after meetings with tour operators in Paris.

France, one of Cyprus’ key tourism markets, has had a difficult 2026. French arrivals fell 46% year over year to 8,453 in August, from 15,663 a year earlier, according to the Statistical Service of Cyprus (Cystat). August arrivals were also nearly 50% below the 16,798 recorded in the same month of 2024.

Overall, Cyprus received 2.82 million tourist arrivals between January and August, down 7% from the same period in 2025.

Air Connectivity Supports 2027 Outlook

Koumis discussed the 2027 outlook with senior executives from tour operators offering Cyprus holidays during the IFTM Top Resa travel trade fair in Paris.

Higher air capacity between France and Cyprus was a key focus of the talks. Participants also discussed the impact of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East on the French market and Cyprus’ efforts to adapt its tourism offering to French travelers.

“The French market is undoubtedly an extremely important market for our country’s tourism,” Koumis said, adding that France had regained importance only a few years ago and still had room to grow.

Improved air connectivity will be an important factor in that expansion, according to Koumis. “It is now clear that air connectivity between France and Cyprus is improving significantly, which is a basic prerequisite for the further growth of the market,” he said.

Cyprus Promotes Tourism And Regional Cooperation

Koumis attended the opening of IFTM Top Resa at the invitation of French Tourism Minister Serge Papin, who later visited the Cyprus stand. Held from Sept. 15 to 17 at Paris Porte de Versailles, the event brought together more than 32,000 tourism professionals representing 177 destinations and 1,650 brands, according to organizers.

During his visit, Koumis also met Egyptian Tourism Minister Sherif Fathy. Cyprus and Egypt reaffirmed their tourism cooperation and discussed opportunities to strengthen ties further.

French media interviews covered Cyprus’ tourism offering, infrastructure and services, along with efforts to develop specialized tourism products. Regional instability weighed on arrivals in 2026, particularly during the spring, although the decline narrowed over the summer.

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