The Genius Act: What Exactly Is It?

With President Trump’s signature, the Genius Act is now law—marking a historic step toward regulated, dollar-backed stablecoins and a potential turning point in America’s digital financial future. But is this legislation a framework for innovation or a gateway for centralized control? In this power-packed interview, Johns Hopkins economist Steve Hanke and Hard Asset Management CEO Christian Briggs offer sharp, divergent takes. Briggs defends the Genius Act as a vital safeguard against an overreaching Federal Reserve and an international CBDC agenda, while Hanke warns of political profiteering and crypto's slippery slope toward state-backed surveillance. Together, they dig into the risks, rewards, and global stakes of programmable money, the anti-CBDC movement, and the future of financial privacy. It’s a critical conversation that reveals what’s really at play beneath the surface of bipartisan support—and why this moment could define the next century of American money.