Connect with us

Crypto World

Why GENIUS Act Could Lead to CBDC-Like Surveillance

Published

on

Why GENIUS Act Could Lead to CBDC-Like Surveillance

For many, the passage of the GENIUS Act closed the doors on the creation of a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). Stablecoins, though digital, were marketed as a private form of currency, in contrast to a government-issued digital dollar.

Aaron Day, a fellow at the Brownstone Institute and a staunch critic of the crypto industry, argued that the GENIUS Act facilitates increased government surveillance despite this ban.

Surveillance Concerns Under the GENIUS Act

The GENIUS Act explicitly prevents the Federal Reserve from issuing a CBDC directly to individuals or through a third party. Its goal was to block the creation of a government-issued digital dollar at all costs.

Advertisement

Its July 2025 passage tied in nicely with President Trump’s early campaign promises to oppose the creation of a CBDC, describing it as a form of tyranny

According to Day, stablecoins and CBDCs are essentially the same thing. The only difference is that the former is privately issued, whereas the latter is issued by a central bank. Yet, as long as the government is involved, the degree of surveillance remains the same.

“The issuance by the Federal Reserve is not actually the part of this that people are concerned about. The Federal Reserve is a private organization that is a collection of banks. Whether you end up having a stablecoin issued by Jamie Dimon at JP Morgan Chase or by the Federal Reserve doesn’t matter,” Day told BeInCrypto.

What privacy-preserving people are really concerned about, he argued, is a government entity being able to program, track, and censor money

This line of thinking has prompted him to define the GENIUS Act as a “backdoor CBDC.” Day highlighted the urgency of the issue, especially given the exponential growth in stablecoins.

Advertisement

“Last year, there was $33 trillion worth of stablecoin transactions. Globally, this is larger than the amount processed through Visa,” he said, adding, “What they’ve done essentially is they’ve taken stablecoins… and they put [them] under the surveillance and control of Congress.”

According to him, this level of surveillance already existed before the passage of the GENIUS Act. The recently signed bill only represents a new degree to an already established order.

Day noted that most of the dollar is already digital.

When asked for examples, he pointed to the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA). This legislation, passed in 1970, requires financial institutions to assist government agencies in detecting and preventing money laundering, terrorism financing, and other illicit activities.

According to Day, the BSA allows government agencies to engage in overreach in certain contexts.

Advertisement

“We have something called suspicious activity reports. Anytime you do a financial transaction through your bank greater than $10,000, a report is automatically generated and sent to the Treasury Department. This shows you that we already have tracking within the system,” he said.

While these tools are often used for public protection, government agencies can implement them without specific authorization.

Day pointed to a specific example. In March 2025, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), a bureau of the US Treasury Department, issued a geographic targeting order to combat money laundering activities in the southwest border of the United States. 

As part of that order, FinCEN mandated that money services businesses in 30 ZIP codes report transactions over $200.

“Understand what this means. The Treasury Department, without Congress, without a bill, without a law, can simply send a memo and banks will start adjusting the dollar transaction amount with which they start automatically reporting to Treasury,” he said.

In light of these examples, he argued that surveillance frameworks already exist. The GENIUS Act merely allows Congress to supervise stablecoins, potentially expanding control over digital currencies in ways that mirror those of a CBDC.

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Crypto World

Cryptos jump 8% as bitcoin breaks $72,000

Published

on

Just as BTC tries to steady, the dollar index wakes up

Bitcoin finally got through the door.

The largest cryptocurrency broke above $72,000 on Thursday, its highest level since before the Feb. 5 crash and the first clean move above the $70,000 ceiling that had rejected it three times in the past month.

It was trading at $72,180 in Asian afternoon hours on Thursday, up 5.9% over the past 24 hours and 5.4% on the week, as a combination of easing war anxiety, strong ETF flows, and a broader equity rebound pulled risk appetite back into the market.

The rally was broad. Ether climbed 7.5% to $2,114, reclaiming $2,000 with conviction for the first time since late February. Dogecoin surged 7.5% to $0.095. Solana added 5.3% to $89.91. XRP rose 4.2% to $1.41 and BNB gained 3% to $650. WhiteBIT Coin jumped 5.6%. The only notable laggard was Tron, up just 1.4%.

Advertisement

The trigger was a shift in global risk sentiment. Asian equities rallied for the first time since the Iran war broke out, with South Korea’s benchmark surging 11% after its biggest drop on record in the previous session.

Wall Street had led the way after economic data eased inflation concerns, though the recovery looked tentative with U.S. and European futures edging lower Thursday morning.

The conflict itself remains unresolved, however. Tehran is still targeting Israel and Gulf states. U.S. and Israeli forces continued striking Iran, including sinking an Iranian warship in international waters. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said operations could last “six, could be eight, could be three” weeks. Trump said “we’re doing very well on the war front” and that the U.S. has “great support.”

But markets have moved past the initial shock and into pricing mode. The Strait of Hormuz situation appears to be stabilizing with U.S. tanker escorts underway. Oil pared its early-week spike.

Advertisement

And the worst-case scenario of an uncontrolled regional escalation looks less likely with each day that passes without a dramatic widening of the conflict.

Source link

Continue Reading

Crypto World

Trump Locks In $150M Venezuela Gold Deal While Markets Watch Iran

Published

on

Nexo Partners with Bakkt for US Crypto Exchange and Yield Programs

TLDR:

  • Venezuela’s Minerven will ship up to 1,000 kg of gold to US refineries under a new Trump-brokered deal.
  • Trafigura is acting as intermediary, shepherding the gold under a separate US government arrangement.
  • The contract requires 98% final gold purity, with the total deal value estimated above $150 million.
  • The deal marks the third reported resource extraction agreement brokered by the Trump administration in 2025.

The United States has secured a multimillion-dollar gold agreement with Venezuela, marking a shift in Washington’s resource diplomacy. 

Venezuela’s state-owned mining company, Minerven, will ship up to 1,000 kilograms of gold to US refineries. 

Commodity trading giant Trafigura is serving as intermediary in the arrangement. The deal, reported by Axios, carries an estimated value exceeding $150 million.

Trump’s Venezuela Gold Deal: What the $150M Minerven Contract Covers

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum traveled to Venezuela personally to finalize the agreement. 

His involvement signals how seriously Washington is treating resource access as a foreign policy tool. The contract specifies a 98% final gold content standard, according to sources cited by Axios.

Advertisement

Trafigura’s role is to shepherd the physical gold into US refining infrastructure under a separate arrangement with the government. 

The trading firm has existing logistics networks across commodity supply chains. That infrastructure makes it a natural fit for a deal of this scale and sensitivity.

Kobeissi Letter, a renowned financial markets account, flagged the deal on X, noting the US is “eyeing Venezuela’s gold.” The post attracted attention from traders and macro analysts tracking dollar-adjacent commodity flows.

This marks the third resource extraction deal the Trump administration has reportedly structured since January, when Maduro’s grip on Venezuela reportedly weakened.

Advertisement

US Resource Strategy Extends Beyond Venezuela Into Asia and Latin America

The Venezuela gold agreement did not emerge in isolation. 

According to posts by analyst Shanaka Perera on X, the same week saw Japan and India ink a rare earth agreement in Rajasthan. India also opened the Andaman Basin to oil exploration during that same period.

A joint US-Ecuador military operation also took place within the same seven-day window, according to Perera’s account. These moves, taken together, suggest a coordinated effort to lock in resource relationships across multiple regions simultaneously.

Venezuela holds some of the world’s largest oil reserves. For years, Caracas maintained deep financial and strategic ties with Beijing. A shift toward US-aligned commodity flows represents a meaningful change in that dynamic.

Gold markets have taken note. The deal adds to existing upward pressure on gold prices, which have held near record highs in recent sessions. A 1,000-kilogram shipment, while not enormous by global standards, carries symbolic weight given its origin and the political context surrounding it.

Advertisement

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Crypto World

Bitwise Cuts $233K Check to Bitcoin Devs Using BITB ETF Profits

Published

on

Nexo Partners with Bakkt for US Crypto Exchange and Yield Programs

TLDR:

  • Bitwise donated $233K from BITB profits to Bitcoin nonprofits in its second annual giving cycle.
  • BITB now manages $2.7B in assets, directly increasing the size of this year’s developer donation.
  • Brink, OpenSats, and HRF’s Bitcoin Fund split the contribution across open-source development grants.
  • Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan says BITB is the only ETF with an ongoing profit-share pledge to developers.

Bitwise Asset Management has donated $233,000 to three Bitcoin-focused nonprofits. The funds come directly from profits generated by its Bitwise Bitcoin ETF, ticker BITB. 

This marks the second consecutive year the firm has fulfilled a pledge made at the ETF’s January 2024 launch. The commitment ties 10% of gross annual profits to open-source Bitcoin development support.

Bitwise Bitcoin ETF Profits Fund Developer Grants for Second Straight Year

Bitwise directed the donation across three organizations. Brink, OpenSats, and the Human Rights Foundation’s Bitcoin Development Fund each received a portion. 

All three groups focus on funding and training developers who maintain Bitcoin’s core infrastructure. None of them operate for profit.

The pledge originated when BITB first launched in January 2024. Bitwise committed to donating 10% of gross profits annually. The first donation followed that same year. This second contribution signals the firm intends to make the practice routine.

Advertisement

BITB has grown considerably since its debut. The fund now manages approximately $2.7 billion in assets under management. That growth directly increased the size of this year’s donation compared to the first. 

Larger assets mean larger profits, and a larger share flows to developers.

Bitwise’s Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan pointed out that BITB stands alone among ETFs in making this type of ongoing commitment. 

No other Bitcoin ETF has structured a recurring donation tied to fund profits. The observation drew attention within the Bitcoin community.

Advertisement

Brink, OpenSats, and HRF Bitcoin Fund Split the $233,000 Contribution

Brink focuses on supporting full-time Bitcoin protocol developers through fellowships and grants. OpenSats funds open-source contributors working on Bitcoin and related projects. 

The Human Rights Foundation’s Bitcoin Development Fund supports developers in regions where financial freedom is restricted.

Advertisement

Each organization allocates funds independently based on its own grant criteria. Bitwise does not direct how recipients distribute the money. The structure keeps the donation at arm’s length from any product or promotional interest.

Bitwise shared the announcement publicly via its official channels. The post credited investors who chose BITB for making the donation possible. It framed the contribution as a reinvestment into the ecosystem supporting the ETF itself.

The broader Bitcoin development community responded positively. The model connects institutional capital with open-source infrastructure in a direct, measurable way. Observers noted it creates a feedback loop: more BITB investment leads to more developer funding.

Bitwise has not disclosed projections for next year’s donation. The amount will depend on BITB’s profit performance through 2025.

Advertisement

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Crypto World

Eight Sleep Secures $50M in Funding to Build AI Sleep Agents

Published

on

image.png

Stablecoin firm Tether has led a $50 million strategic investment round in sleep technology startup Eight Sleep, to help the company integrate artificial intelligence agents into its sleep tech products.    

The latest funding round was announced on Tuesday, with Eight Sleep raising $50 million at a $1.5 billion valuation. It follows a $100 million raise last August. The firm specializes in sleep health products, primarily across bedding and supplements.

In an announcement on Tuesday, Tether expressed its strong conviction in health technology to support “longevity, performance, and disease prevention,” and will collaborate with Eight Sleep to bring artificial intelligence-based health technology products to market.

​Tether has been using its capital stockpile to invest in a wide range of areas outside crypto. Its investments span the gold sector, media, biotechnology and AI. The firm has also made multiple attempts to buy professional football clubs.

Advertisement
image.png
Source: Matteo Franceschetti

“Technologies that can turn continuous health data into clear, practical insights will shape the future of consumer health and wellness,” Tether said.

“The investment is designed to empower Eight Sleep and establish a long-term collaboration to build advanced AI-driven health technology using, among others, Tether’s QVAC architecture and leveraging QVAC’s edge intelligence to enhance Eight Sleep products,” it added.

Tether’s QVAC is a privacy-focused health tech service launched in December that enables users to integrate their bio-health data from multiple services or products, like smart rings, into a single platform, supported by local on-device AI to help users with data management and health insights.  

Eight Sleep has stated that it plans to build a sleep-focused AI agent to support its Pod, a sleep tech product that automatically adjusts bed temperature, elevation, and sound based on factors such as heart rate, breathing, snoring, time asleep and sleep stages.

​Related: Stablecoin giving grows as ‘crypto philanthropy’ matures: Report

Advertisement

​The Pod already has AI integrations to track sleep health data; however, Eight Sleep has said the funding will help evolve the company’s current AI tools and capabilities.

“We’ve built the most seamless AI-powered health sensing system in the world, and this partnership with Tether gives us the infrastructure to take that intelligence beyond the Pod, into every aspect of personal health,” noted Franceschetti as part of Tether’s announcement.