From GENIUS Act to State Innovation

Who It's For

Written for the people who have to act on the GENIUS Act.

Compliance officers and in-house counsel

At issuers, custodians, exchanges, banks, and fintech platforms — what the GENIUS Act actually requires and how state frameworks interact with it.Start with: Parts II, III, and VI, with Appendix F as a fast reference to the 2026 agency rulemakings.

Outside counsel

Advising on payment stablecoin issuance, state versus federal pathways, custody structures, AML and sanctions obligations, and payment-protocol questions.Start with: Parts II through VI, plus Appendices A and F — the densest legal material.

Founders, operators, and product leaders

Building stablecoin issuers, custody infrastructure, payment protocols, AI-agent platforms, or DAO-governed projects.Start with: Parts IV through VI, plus the DUNA formation checklist (Appendix C) and the x402 technical guide (Appendix D).

Policymakers and agency staff

Working on implementation, market-structure legislation, and the gaps the GENIUS Act left for future work.Start with: Chapters 3–6, 10, 18, and 21.

Investors, analysts, and journalists

Which issuers operate under which authorities, which states are emerging as crypto-friendly, and how regulated stablecoins differ from the prior generation.Start with: Chapters 1, 2, 9, and 11.

Students, academics, and curious readers

A single-volume treatment of where U.S. digital-payment regulation stands at the start of the GENIUS Act era.Start with: Part I, then any topic of interest.

Questions

About the book and the GENIUS Act.

What is the GENIUS Act?

The Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act (Public Law 119-27), signed on July 18, 2025, is the first federal framework for payment stablecoins in the United States. It defines who may issue a payment stablecoin, how reserves must be held, what protections customers receive, and how state regimes can qualify alongside federal supervision. Part II of the book covers the Act in detail.

How current is the book?

This is the First Edition, published July 2026. The substantive cutoff is April 22, 2026: the book covers the GENIUS Act as enacted on July 18, 2025, and the agency proposed rules and joint interpretive notices published through that date. It was written during the rulemaking window on purpose, so it shows what regulators are debating before final rules lock in. Final rules are expected through 2026 and 2027 and may differ from the proposals. Appendix F surveys each 2026 federal rulemaking, and Appendix E sets out the regulatory timeline and deadlines.

Does the book take a position on the GENIUS Act?

No. The authors have views, and they come through in the analysis. The book's purpose is to lay out what exists and what it means. It does not argue for or against the GENIUS Act, any state framework, or stablecoins as a category. It is also not a step-by-step manual for issuing a stablecoin. Chapter 21 discusses what is plausibly coming, and the book treats prediction as separate from analysis.

Which states does the book cover?

Wyoming receives the deepest treatment: its digital asset statutes, the Stable Token Act, and the launch of FRNT, the first state-issued stablecoin. The book also surveys New York, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Texas, and explains how state regimes interact with the federal framework.

Is this book legal advice?

No. The book provides general information about U.S. stablecoin law and policy. James R. Holbein is a licensed attorney; Justin E. Holbein is a blockchain subject-matter expert and is not an attorney. Reading the book does not create an attorney-client relationship. For guidance on a specific situation, contact the authors through American Digital Asset Consulting.

How is this different from law-firm client alerts on the GENIUS Act?

A client alert summarizes one development. This book connects the statute, the implementing rulemakings, state stablecoin programs, DAO governance under Wyoming's DUNA law, and the x402 payment protocol in one reference, and ends with a compliance roadmap for issuers and an integration guide for businesses.

What formats are available?

PDF and EPUB are available direct, delivered instantly after purchase. Kindle & paperback coming soon on Amazon.

What is the refund policy?

Digital files that are defective or not as described are refundable within 14 days of delivery. The full terms are on the Refund Policy page.

More questions? Contact the authors or read the refund policy.