GENIUS Act
The 2025 US federal law establishing rules for stablecoins — reserve backing, disclosure, and issuer compliance.
The GENIUS Act is the first major US federal law focused on stablecoins, passed in 2025. It requires payment stablecoins to be backed 1:1 by high-quality liquid reserves (cash and short-term Treasuries), mandates monthly public disclosure of reserve composition, and subjects issuers to KYC/AML obligations.
Its rollout defines much of 2026’s regulatory landscape: federal regulators must issue implementing rules by July 18, 2026, with the Act taking full effect in early 2027. The law effectively legitimized reserve-backed stablecoins while sidelining risky algorithmic designs, and drew major fintechs into stablecoin issuance. It’s the clearest example of crypto moving from regulatory gray zone to codified framework — and a template other jurisdictions are watching.