17
June
2025
Senate passes GENIUS Act stablecoin bill, sending it to House for possible vote
On June 17, 2025, the Senate passed the GENIUS Act stablecoin bill in a 68–30 vote, marking the first time either body of the Congress has passed any comprehensive digital assets-focused legislation. The bill now moves to the House of Representatives, where it is undergoing review and markup by the House Agriculture and Financial Services Committees. Here, it could still face challenges, especially if the House passes a substantially modified or competing stablecoin bill (like the STABLE Act, H.R.2392) or rolls it into a broader crypto market infrastructure bill (like the CLARITY act, H.R.3633), in which event the Senate would need to approve again and might be unwilling to vote it through.
The GENIUS Act reflects rare bipartisan cooperation in the Congress and arrives amid growing institutional interest in issuing stablecoins. Several major banks and technology firms have already announced plans to launch dollar-pegged tokens in anticipation of regulatory clarity. The bill would require issuers to maintain minimum reserves, peg tokens to the U.S. dollar, and provide token holders with limited bankruptcy protections. It also prohibits certain forms of advertising. As introduced, the bill closely tracked the Lummis-Gillibrand Payment Stablecoin Act (S.4155), which failed to advance to a full Senate vote during the 118th Congress.
Last updated 06/19/2025.