0051 GMT - Bitcoin makes a muted start in the Asian session after sliding when the U.S. Clarity Act on digital assets failed to clear a procedural vote. Markets had widely expected the result amid disagreement over key points in the bill to set a regulatory framework for crypto. However, the fact that no Democrats voted in favor suggests that Clarity's path toward becoming law has become significantly harder, says Pepperstone's Chris Weston. Comprehensive legislation now seems increasingly unlikely near term, but all is not lost, he says. "We continue to see rapid growth in tokenized markets and prediction markets, with significant activity flowing through the crypto ecosystem." Even with regulatory certainty now further off, the broader infrastructure buildout across altcoins and blockchain networks continues at pace, he adds. Bitcoin largely flat at $75,821.