Overview
- The Genius Act, signed by President Trump last week, enacts the first federal framework for stablecoin issuance and requires licenses for banks or depository trust organizations.
- Issuers must hold reserves one-to-one in dollars via cash or short-term U.S. Treasuries, publish monthly breakdowns and undergo quarterly audits.
- Major providers such as Tether and Circle have shifted billions into U.S. debt, making crypto firms significant new buyers of Treasury securities.
- Regulators and analysts warn that widespread redemption demands could force rapid Treasury sales, driving yields up and threatening market stability.
- Europe’s MiCAR framework enforces stronger consumer safeguards but the EU has not actively supported euro-based stablecoins even as it pursues a digital euro.