Photo of Genna Garver

Genna provides targeted, practical advice to investment advisers and their proprietary private investment funds. She represents institutional investors, funds of funds and family offices in connection with their private fund investments. Genna routinely advises clients on formation and offering matters for both domestic and offshore funds; SEC and state investment adviser, broker-dealer and private fund regulation; Investment Advisers Act compliance programs, annual reviews and ongoing compliance matters; and regulatory examinations and investigations.

In this episode of The Crypto Exchange, Genna Garver is joined by Tom Tilton from Troutman Strategies to discuss key legislative developments in the crypto sector, focusing on the GENIUS Act and the Clarity Act. They begin by highlighting the GENIUS Act’s influence on stakeholders, including traditional financial institutions like banks and credit card companies, as they navigate the evolving regulatory landscape.

As digital assets continue to reshape the financial landscape, regulatory clarity around stablecoins is increasingly vital. The GENIUS Act, signed into law by President Trump in July, establishes the first-ever federal regulatory system for stablecoins and aims to position the U.S. as the global leader in digital assets. This is a historic shift in U.S. digital asset policy, prioritizing consumer protection, financial stability, and national security, while aiming to cement America’s leadership in the global digital currency revolution.

On August 18, the U.S. Department of the Treasury issued a Request for Comment, inviting interested members of the public to provide input on innovative methods to detect and mitigate illicit finance risks involving digital assets. This initiative fulfills the GENIUS Act directive for the Secretary of the Treasury to seek public comment on methods to detect illicit activity involving digital assets, complements the January 23, 2025 Executive Order 14178 on “Strengthening American Leadership in Digital Financial Technology” to promote responsible digital asset growth and U.S. leadership in digital finance, and aligns with the July 30, 2025 report from the President’s Working Group on Digital Assets advocating enhanced anti-money laundering/countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) measures through public-private collaboration. In conjunction with the SEC’s “Project Crypto,” this Request for Comment bolsters the Administration’s commitment to fostering responsible innovation in digital finance while addressing potential risks and misuses by illicit actors.

On August 1, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announced an initiative aimed at advancing the U.S.’s position in the global cryptocurrency landscape. Acting Chairman Caroline D. Pham revealed the commencement of a “crypto sprint” designed to implement the recommendations from the President’s Working Group on Digital Asset Markets report. This effort is part of a broader vision to establish America as the “crypto capital of the world,” as articulated by President Trump.

In this episode of The Crypto Exchange, Genna Garver is joined by Tony Tuths, senior partner and leader of the Digital Asset Group at KPMG, to discuss recent legislative developments in digital assets. They examine the GENIUS Act, which aims to enhance stablecoin market stability through authorized issuers and audited reserves, and the CLARITY Act, pending Senate approval, which proposes a regulatory framework for digital assets, dividing oversight between the SEC and CFTC based on decentralization.

On July 31, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Paul Atkins (Chair Atkins) presented “Project Crypto,” an initiative aimed at positioning the U.S. as the global leader in the digital finance world. In his address, Chair Atkins outlined his vision to modernize securities rules and regulations, enabling America’s financial markets to fully embrace blockchain technology and move on-chain. This plan solidifies President Trump’s vision of making the U.S. the crypto capital of the world and signals a new era of regulatory clarity and innovation for the crypto industry within the U.S.

Since the House passed the CLARITY Act on July 17, the U.S. Senate Banking Committee, which has oversight of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), has been busy working on its own version of the U.S. crypto regulatory framework. Chairman Tim Scott (R-SC), along with Senators Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), and Bernie Moreno (R-OH), released a discussion draft of the “Responsible Financial Innovation Act of 2025.” This comprehensive legislation aims to provide regulatory clarity, encourage innovation, and address key risks in the rapidly evolving digital asset ecosystem. This blog highlights critical elements of the draft bill, offering an overview of its major provisions and implications. Alongside the draft, the Senate Banking Committee has issued a broad Request for Information (RFI) to solicit feedback from the public, with responses due by August 5, 2025.

On June 24, Senate Banking Chairman Tim Scott (R-SC), Subcommittee on Digital Assets Chair Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) released a set of guiding principles for the development of comprehensive market structure legislation for digital assets. These principles, described in more detail below, aim to provide a foundational framework for discussions and negotiations with industry participants, legal and academic experts, and government stakeholders. This announcement comes on the heels of the House Committees on Agriculture and Financial Services both favorably reporting to the House the CLARITY Act (discussed here), which aims to establish a clear regulatory framework for digital assets in the United States. and the recent passage by the U.S. Senate of the GENIUS Act, a landmark effort to establish a comprehensive federal framework for the payment stablecoins (discussed here).

In this episode of the Crypto Exchange, Genna Garver is joined by John D’Agostino, head of strategy for Coinbase Institutional, to discuss the significant developments in the crypto industry following the Senate’s approval of the GENIUS Act and the anticipated CLARITY Act. These legislative moves aim to establish a regulatory framework for stablecoins and clarify the status of digital assets in the U.S.