It’s been a tough year for the Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) price.

In afternoon trade on Wednesday, the world’s first and biggest crypto by market cap is trading for US$66,185.

While that’s up 1.2% over the past 24 hours and up 3.4 over the past month, the price remains down 47.5% since the token hit an all-time high of US$126,198 on 7 October.

And crypto investors won’t have found any shelter in Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) either.

At US$1,930, the Ethereum price is up 3.2% over the last week, but down 48% since this time last year.

The world’s number two crypto by market cap notched its own record high of US$4,954 on 25 August 2025, leaving the token down 61% from that record.

Which brings us back to US lawmakers.

Could this US legislation support a Bitcoin price rebound?

Yesterday the Bitcoin price jumped 2.5% amid news that US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the nation’s crypto regulating Clarity Act was close to potentially passing through Congress.

If passed, the Clarity Act will give the SEC and the CFTC departments oversight into crypto trading, which could fully open the door to trading in cryptos like Bitcoin and Ethereum in US stock markets.

Commenting on potential impact of the Clarity Act, should it pass, Miller Tabak + Co chief market strategist Matt Maley said (quoted by Bloomberg):

Bitcoin has quietly been building a nice ‘base’ by trading within a sideways range since early June. Now, with the Clarity Act getting closer to passage, it is trying to rally past of the top end of that range. So, if the act can push over the goal line, it could be a nice catalyst for a strong breakout move by Bitcoin.

Why has the world’s top crypto crashed this year?

Through much of 2025, the Bitcoin price enjoyed strong buying support from the so-called debasement trade. That trade saw investors buying crypto currencies and gold as a hedge against a falling US dollar.

But that trade went into reverse this year as investors eyed a rapidly changing outlook for previously forecast interest rate cuts from the US Federal Reserve. Indeed, with inflation ticking higher in the world’s top economy, many analysts expect the Fed to hold tight or even raise rates this year.

These changing expectations have seen the US dollar gain against most international currencies. And they’ve sent the Bitcoin and Ethereum prices tumbling.

The post Could US lawmakers drive a rebound in the beaten-down Bitcoin price? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Bitcoin and Ethereum. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

ASX bank shares Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA), Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC), ANZ Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: ANZ), and National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) all face another competitor in Australia: Revolut.

CBA and the other majors already face a lot of competition from the likes of ING, HSBC, Bank of Queensland Ltd (ASX: BOQ), Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Ltd (ASX: BEN), Pepper Money Ltd (ASX: PPM), Mystate Ltd (ASX: MYS), and AMP Ltd (ASX: AMP).

Perhaps the biggest impact on the big four banks in recent years has been Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG), which has genuinely become a serious competitor. Macquarie is rapidly capturing market share on both the loans and deposits side of things.

Revolut is a technology-focused UK bank that’s already got a valuation that is similar to ANZ Group. According to reporting by the Australian Financial Review, Revolut has recently been granted an Australian banking licence.

Revolut to disrupt the major ASX bank shares?

The AFR reported that Revolut Bank Australia has secured an unrestricted licence from the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority – granted five years after the application.

Revolut reportedly already has 1 million Australian users, with that number doubling each of the last 4 years. Its key offering is a money management app that can make payments, move money between countries, and buy shares.

Customer deposits are now being moved to deposit accounts thanks to the banking licence. Revolut customers will have up to $250,000 of their money protected by the government guarantee.

Revolut can also pay interest on customer savings, while giving itself a better source of funding. The UK bank can also offer personal lending and credit cards.

The AFR reported that Revolut Bank Australia CEO Matt Baxby said:

The natural place to take share is from traditional banks. I don’t think there’s any question we’re providing incremental competition and innovation. It’s very difficult for them to play offence. Their natural game is defence because they’ve got large franchises’ revenue streams to protect.

The newspaper also noted that “several major bank executives have privately cited Revolut as being one of the biggest competitors to local lenders.”

So, it seems like major ASX bank shares are well aware of the potential competition from Revolut.

Should shareholders of CBA, ANZ, NAB, and Westpac be worried?

I think it could be unwise to completely dismiss what Revolut can achieve. Yes, some of the other smaller, digital banks that have come along have not been able to challenge them. They were too small, with the majors having insurmountable scale advantages.

However, I think it’s important to look at how Macquarie has changed the sector. Macquarie was a well-funded business and had the scale to invest heavily, accept a lower margin, and build great tools. Revolut is already a big business, making billions of dollars in profit.

I’ve already been cautious investing in ASX bank shares for some time, and this gives me another reason to look at other ASX shares.

The post This UK bank plans to disrupt CBA, ANZ, NAB and Westpac appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• 2 ASX shares highly recommended to buy: Experts

Motley Fool contributor Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Macquarie Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Bendigo And Adelaide Bank. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Macquarie Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Judo Capital Holdings Ltd (ASX: JDO) shares are slipping today.

Shares in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) bank stock closed yesterday trading for 91 cents. In early afternoon trade on Wednesday, shares are swapping hands for 90.7 cents apiece, down 0.3%.

For some context, the ASX 200 is up 0.2% at this same time.

Unfortunately for faithful stockholders, today’s underperformance isn’t a one-off. With today’s intraday move factored in, the challenger bank’s share price is down a painful 49.6% in 2026.

Most of that pain came in a single day. Namely, 25 June, when Judo shares crashed 40.4% after the bank increased its forecast full-year FY 2026 cost of risk estimates and slashed its full-year profit guidance.

And looking ahead, Investor Pulse’s Mark Elzayed believes Judo Bank could continue to struggle (courtesy of The Bull).

Here’s why.

Why Judo shares could face ongoing headwinds

“This Australian lender focuses on small and medium size enterprises,” Elzayed said.

Commenting on the 25 June downgrades that sent the ASX 200 bank stock into a tailspin, Elzayed noted:

Judo recently cut profit before tax guidance in fiscal year 2026 to between $163 million and $169 million from a previous range of between $180 million and $190 million. It was primarily driven by a higher cost of risk now expected to range between $116 million and $122 million following specific provisions against three exposures across different sectors.

And while management is forecasting profit growth for FY 2027, that guidance also left investors wanting.

“Profit before tax guidance of between $210 million and $220 million in full year 2027 was below market expectations of $255.1 million,” Elzayed said.

Summarising his sell recommendation on Judo shares, he concluded, “In our view, market reaction reflects more than a one-off potential earnings downgrade. Provisioning risk remains elevated, so we retain a sell on Judo Capital.”

What did the ASX 200 bank stock’s CEO say about the downgrades?

“While today’s update is partly a result of the macro environment, it is nevertheless disappointing,” CEO Chris Bayliss said on the day Judo shares crashed 40.4%.

“Regardless, we remain confident in the strength of our underlying business and the quality of the portfolio,” he added.

Addressing the root of the profit downgrade, Bayliss said:

We continue to see strong underlying momentum in the business. Recent credit outcomes have been driven by a small number of customers, who we are actively working with. These exposures have deteriorated subsequent to the customer-by-customer review undertaken in the third quarter and reflect recent, borrower-specific developments.

The post Sell alert! Why this expert is calling time on Judo shares appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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• 2 ASX shares tipped to grow 45% or more in the next 12 months
• 9 ASX 200 shares downgraded by analysts this week
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• Buy, hold, sell: CAR Group, Judo Capital, and Worley shares

Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.