Crypto vs. Banks: Who Controls America’s Money? | Summer Mersinger

Crypto vs. Banks — the proxy war for the future of money is heating up. Summer Mersinger, CEO of the Blockchain Association and former CFTC Commissioner, joins Bankless to unpack the battle over the GENIUS Act, why banks are fighting to roll it back, and how stablecoins have become the frontline. From Elizabeth Warren’s fading influence to the $700M bank lobbying machine, we explore what’s really happening on Capitol Hill, the global stakes for stablecoins, and how upcoming U.S. policy could reshape innovation, regulation, and consumer freedom. --- 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24 https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium --- BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle 🎩DEGEN | JOIN THE COMMUNITY https://bankless.cc/degen 🌳KGEN | REQUEST A DEMO https://bankless.cc/KGEN-podcast 🏄 SURF | UPGRADE YOUR CRYPTO RESEARCH https://bankless.cc/surf --- TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 1:12 The GENIUS Act Victory 8:49 How Laws Really Get Made 16:17 The Bank Lobby vs. The Crypto Lobby 20:29 The Shifting Politics of Crypto 27:29 Will Banks Go Crypto? 33:10 International Dimension 37:14 CFTC, SEC, and Market Structure 52:26 DC Drama & Leadership Vacancies 55:42 Prediction Markets & Policy Battles 1:00:07 Looking Ahead to 2026 1:02:15 Closing Thoughts --- RESOURCES Summer Mersinger https://x.com/SKMersinger Blockchain Association https://x.com/BlockchainAssn --- Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures