Episode 779 - The Genius Act & AI Badness - Bad News for June 19. 2025

The Bad Crypto Podcast

How crazy is it that even in spite of being on the brink of World War III, Bitcoin is still holding over $100,000? How crazy is it that the Genius Act has passed through the US Senate and is now heading for the House of Representatives? And how crazy is AI accelerating with all the crazy stuff you can do with it?

If you’re looking for crazy you’ve come to the right place. We’re going to discuss the essential stories from the crypto market and dive into the AI rabbit hole with essential tools you want to use to enhance your productivity.

If we are nice to AI perhaps they’ll remember it when they decide to turn on us. Join us today and we make nice with the future overlords and get pumped about where Bitcoin could be heading on episode #779 of The Bad Crypto Podcast.

Show notes

Cryptocurrency News:

• Senate passes stablecoin bill, turning focus to House | The Block

The U.S. Senate has passed the GENIUS Act, the first major federal legislation to regulate stablecoins, requiring them to be fully backed by liquid assets and imposing audit and transparency standards. The bill, which received bipartisan support, now shifts to the House for consideration and is seen as a pivotal step toward legitimizing the crypto industry and cementing U.S. dollar dominance in digital assets. Despite this progress, concerns remain over potential conflicts of interest and the adequacy of consumer protections, particularly regarding anti-money laundering and corporate issuance provisions.

• How to legally stake crypto in 2025: What is now allowed after the SEC’s latest move
• The SEC’s 2025 guidelines confirm that solo, delegated, and custodial staking directly tied to network consensus are not securities offerings. Staking rewards are treated as service compensation, not investment returns. However, yield farming and staking-like lending schemes remain regulated as securities.

JPMorgan, SEC meet to discuss capital markets moving onchain

JPMorgan executives met with the SEC’s Crypto Task Force to discuss the regulatory implications and potential impacts of traditional capital markets migrating to public blockchains, including how existing financial models might change and how to assess associated risks and benefits123. The discussions also covered JPMorgan’s current digital asset initiatives, such as its digital platform for repurchase agreements and the launch of its new deposit token, JPMD, on Coinbase’s Base blockchain123. JPMorgan emphasized that deposit tokens like JPMD, which are fully backed by bank deposits, offer a more scalable and institution-friendly alternative to stablecoins, with no immediate plans to launch a stablecoin themselves123.

• Cointelegraph joins forces with Nansen to boost crypto journalism with onchain data

Cointelegraph has partnered with Nansen, a leading onchain analytics platform, to integrate real-time blockchain data and AI-powered insights into its news coverage, research, and social media content1. This collaboration aims to enhance the quality and transparency of crypto journalism by providing readers with actionable, data-driven intelligence on DeFi, Web3, and market trends1. The partnership marks a significant step toward more informed and credible reporting in the crypto industry, leveraging Nansen’s advanced analytics across Cointelegraph’s global newsroom1.

• Report: Justin Sun’s Tron Aims for Nasdaq Listing in High-Stakes Merger Deal

Justin Sun’s Tron is set to go public on Nasdaq through a reverse merger with SRM Entertainment, a toy and merchandise company, in a deal valued up to $210 million that will see SRM rebranded as Tron Inc. and Sun serve as an advisor123. The transaction, orchestrated by Dominari Securities with close ties to the Trump family, involves SRM raising $100 million to acquire TRX tokens for its treasury, following a pause in SEC investigations into Sun34. This marks a significant move for Tron and highlights shifting U.S. regulatory attitudes toward crypto firms entering public markets through unconventional means45.

• The Legal Personhood of Decentralized Systems

Decentralized systems like DAOs face major challenges fitting into global legal frameworks, as existing laws often treat them as general partnerships, exposing members to unlimited liability and tax risks if no formal structure is established.
Several legal solutions have been proposed, such as Wyoming’s DUNA, the BORG framework, and blockchain-native governance models, but each has significant limitations and often cannot accommodate complex, real-world assets or operational needs.

DUNAs, while offering a nonprofit legal wrapper, are criticized for being technology-specific and potentially allowing profit-like activities under a nonprofit label, raising regulatory and compliance concerns.

Other frameworks, like BORGs and Q blockchain, are more technology-neutral but struggle with practical issues such as asset custody, compliance, and the ability to interact with traditional financial systems.

The article suggests that some proposals may be motivated by large investors seeking to limit their own liability, rather than providing comprehensive solutions for the broader DAO ecosystem.

Artificial Intelligence News:

• The AI Agent Economy - Travis' Substack

Web3 & NFT News:

• Joel's Substack

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