Episode 39 - Stablecoins, Singleness of Money and the Global Regulatory Race

In this episode, we’re joined by Elise Soucie Watts, policy leader in digital finance and Executive Director at the Global Digital Finance (GDF).Elise shares her journey from the FCA to shaping global policy at GDF, and explains why stablecoin regulation is about more than just rules — it’s about creating frameworks that support responsible innovation, market integrity, and global interoperability.We explore key topics including: How institutions approach crypto differently from retail investors What the “singleness of money” means — and why stablecoins don’t need to break it A comparison of MiCA (EU) and the GENIUS Act (US) and what “competitive regulation” looks like Why the UAE is emerging as a serious jurisdiction for stablecoin innovation The small but critical technical policy decisions that shape real-world market outcomes What’s next: agentic AI, programmable payments, and the growing challenge of cross-border alignment A must-listen for anyone working in digital assets, payments, stablecoin policy, or regulatory strategy. Listen to our other podcasts: https://www.greengage.co/podcasts About GDF:GDF is a leading global members’ association offering an open innovation platform for advocating and accelerating the adoption of best practices for digital assets.For more information, visit  https://www.gdf.io/ .  Time stamps:00:00 – Intro + welcome (Elise Soucie Watts) 01:00 – Elise’s background: FCA → AFME → GDF 03:00 – What GDF does + who they work with (banks, issuers, exchanges, L1s) 05:20 – Why regulator experience matters (and how to engage regulators well) 07:40 – What “digital” means in policy: DLT, crypto, infrastructure change 09:40 – Outside Context: sci-fi, tech, and “outside context problems” 12:30 – Stablecoins + “singleness of money”: what inspired the paper 15:15 – Terra/Luna, confidence, and what regulation should focus on 17:30 – The big idea: convertibility vs “redemption at all costs” 20:20 – MiCA vs the GENIUS Act: what matters (and what’s still unknown) 23:40 – Other key regimes: UAE, Hong Kong, Singapore + competitiveness 25:10 – UK stablecoin limits: are they real, and do they make sense? 26:30 – Where regulators & industry disconnect (ETNs, ISAs + small technical choices) 28:40 – The next frontier: agentic AI + programmable payments 29:30 – Geopolitics + cross-border coordination