THE GENIUS ACT: A BILL WORTHY OF ITS NAME? | by Samuel Onyinyechukwu Okafor | The Capital | Aug, 2025

[ad_1] Press enter or click on to view picture in full dimension It has been only a few months since my prolonged exposé on stablecoins, however occasions of a decade's value have transpired within the Blockchain world. The trail to widespread adoption of Blockchain know-how has been debated, and in recent times, ideas like Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) and DeFi platforms have all staked a declare to this. Nonetheless, it’s now simple that stablecoins will obtain this and herald a brand new daybreak for the ecosystem. It's only proper that this phenomenon carries the torch; it has an uncanny similarity to current techniques but in addition supplies a large development when it comes to safety, velocity, and transparency. Stablecoins are at a degree the place it’d be utter foolishness for the fits parading alongside the White Home, Kremlin, Downing Avenue and the likes to disregard outright and simply because the battle for Synthetic Intelligence supremacy rages on, one other battle is being fought on the subject of dominating the stablecoin ecosystem and the largest bullet to date simply received fired by the ever-polarizing President Trump with the GENIUS Act. This acronym, which stands for the Guiding and Establishing Nationwide Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act, is a invoice that totally reshapes the digital foreign money framework on the planet's strongest economic system whereas additionally positioning america Greenback because the long-term strategic reserve for stablecoins across the globe. Close to this imaginative and prescient, it may be clearly seen that there's an current benefit, given the dominance of USD-backed stablecoins for the time being. The USDT minted by Tether and USDC from Circle are the 2 dominant stablecoins in circulation, and so they share just a few issues in widespread: first is the truth that a confirmed USD reserve in type of both treasury payments or money backs them and the second which we'll examine down the road given its essential significance concerning the GENIUS act is the truth that they're FIAT pegged and never algorithmic in any kind.

In Southeast Asia, the Hong Kong stablecoin invoice, which is considered in some circles as an extension of the Chinese language Belt and Street Initiative, was additionally handed efficiently, and this act gives a strategic different to the Genius Act and its imaginative and prescient, which is a pathway to sustained US Greenback dominance. The hegemony of the US greenback has been underneath hearth in current instances, with the BRICS nations making an attempt to dissolve this and usher in a brand new monetary system that's not solely depending on the foreign money and the SWIFT community. The emergence of the stablecoin system, which is quicker, safer and operational with out the downtime limitations often related to SWIFT, supplies a launchpad for this ambition. The GENIUS Act is america exhibiting its hand and making it clear that it'll not be idle and watch as this well-thought-out plan comes into fruition. Given its current dominance, you gained’t be mistaken to conclude that the US is properly positioned to win this battle, nevertheless it could possibly be too early to name.

After a sequence of coordinated assaults on the feasibility of a decentralized framework powering the monetary system, most particularly from current juggernauts, the writing on the wall has been made clear, and companies opposing the revolution face the danger of being left behind. In consequence, the race that has been run within the shadows is now within the mild because of the GENIUS Act. Huge Finance corporations are actually expressing their need to totally combine stablecoins, with some open to utilizing current ones, whereas some are exploring pathways to create their distinctive stablecoins. Whatever the path taken, the delusion that got here with their preliminary stance of sustaining the predated system of cash because it was, is now unravelling. Unbeknownst to all concerned, the panorama of finance modified the very day that Satoshi Nakamoto printed the Bitcoin White Paper, which was the spark that lit the fireplace. The GENIUS Act makes a provision at its core that allows america to exert, to a level, affect on the stream of stablecoins whereas making certain the continuation of the US greenback's dominance. This goal is disguised as an try to make sure compliance and regulation, however behind the veil is a well-defined technique centred on making certain monetary domination. How? Chances are you'll ask. How does a misstep with stablecoins possess the ability to change the fortunes of the almighty Greenback? Nicely, for the time being, there are billions of USDT and USDC in circulation, with every single digital greenback backed by an equal bodily greenback of the identical worth. With the inevitable rise of stablecoins as a method of cost, settlements, and cross-border transfers, there's undoubtedly going to be extra digital currencies funnelled into this community and making the US greenback the cornerstone ensures a rise in demand. This establishes the dominance of USD-pegged stablecoins and, in flip, maximises the necessity for the US greenback.

Press enter or click on to view picture in full dimension Stablecoins may also help raise bottlenecks related to the current conventional method of sending funds, each inside a nation and cross-border funds. The present points plaguing worldwide funds embrace the lengthy anticipate settlement utilizing the SWIFT community, in addition to the costs related to this. It's not a rarity for cross-border funds to take a few days with out settling, in distinction to the few seconds that it could when utilizing the stablecoin cost rails. That is an intriguing proposition as a result of, for all of the clamour about boosting the velocity, eliminating the costs shouldn't be one thing gargantuan monetary establishments are prone to cherish. This can be a large query we’re prone to see unfold over time after the chief recognition of stablecoins. It's anticipated that current finance giants will regulate to the brand new actuality, however will probably be very attention-grabbing to see this play out in actual time.

The GENIUS Act goals to make sure that stablecoins can solely be issued by monetary companies designated as a Permitted Cost Stablecoin Issuer (PPSI). This permits banks and credit score unions to combine current techniques or chart their course, however most significantly, it supplies a authorized framework for oversight. From a sure lens, it might probably simply be deduced that this has no speedy affect on the traditional person who has engaged within the regular switch or receipt of stablecoins, no matter jurisdiction or area. Regardless, it's a enormous breakthrough for nations to lastly acknowledge the elephant within the room, which is the truth that the revolution can solely be delayed and never denied. The GENIUS Act is really genius, not as a result of it causes a drastic change or that it makes cryptocurrency actions smoother, however it's a genius stroke as a result of it comes off as an act to safe and strengthen regulatory statutes whereas shielding its intention, albeit poorly, which is a long-term domination of america Greenback within the far ranging worldwide monetary panorama.