The CLARITY Act Defined “Mature” Blockchains. Here’s What It Missed.

OpinionShareShare this articleCopy linkX iconX (Twitter)LinkedInFacebookEmailThe CLARITY Act Defined Mature Blockchains. Heres What It Missed.Decentralization is not enough to determine whether a blockchain is truly mature, argues Algorands Chief Strategy Officer Marc Vanlerberghe.By Marc VanlerbergheEdited by Cheyenne Ligon Sep 3, 2025, 6:29 p.m. Photo by Shubham DhageUnsplashModified by CoinDesk As the digital asset industry evolves, so does the language we use to describe it. A promising new term mature blockchain has entered the regulatory discourse via the CLARITY Act, a bipartisan legislative proposal aimed at providing much-needed regulatory certainty around digital assets in the U.S. Among other things, it defines a mature blockchain as one that is sufficiently decentralized and not reliant on any single person or entity to operate.STORY CONTINUES BELOWDon't miss another story.Subscribe to the CoinDesk Headlines Newsletter today. See all newslettersSign me upBy signing up, you will receive emails about CoinDesk products and you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.This makes decentralization a critical legal distinction, and may also determine whether an asset on a given network should be treated as a security.However, fitting the definition of decentralized doesnt mean a blockchain is ready for global scale or real-world adoption. To bring blockchain technology into mainstream, real-world use, maturity must mean more than just decentralization: it must also mean operational readiness, i.e. the ability of a network to deliver performance, reliability, and scalability under these conditions. *Reporting by Coindesk.*