July 19, 2025

Crypto Legislation and Digital Cash w/ Zack Shapiro of the Bitcoin Policy Institute | EPI 357

1 hour 23 minutes

Any donation is greatly appreciated!

47e6GvjL4in5Zy5vVHMb9PQtGXQAcFvWSCQn2fuwDYZoZRk3oFjefr51WBNDGG9EjF1YDavg7pwGDFSAVWC5K42CBcLLv5U

OR DONATE HERE: https://www.monerotalk.live/donate

TODAY'S SHOW: In this episode of Monero Talk, legal expert Zach Shapiro joins Douglas Tuman to discuss U.S. cryptocurrency legislation, the legal challenges facing privacy tech, and the philosophical divide between building unstoppable systems versus working within regulatory frameworks.

Shapiro, who runs a crypto-focused law firm and is involved with the Bitcoin Policy Institute and Peer-to-Peer Rights Foundation, outlines recent bills in Congress—including the Clarity Act and Genius Act—and their implications for developers and privacy advocates. He and Doug debate Bitcoin vs. Monero, focusing on fungibility and censorship resistance, with Shapiro defending Bitcoin’s legal positioning and Doug championing Monero’s privacy features. The episode also covers ongoing cases like Tornado Cash, the status of Samurai Wallet, and efforts to repeal New York’s restrictive BitLicense.

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:02:12) – Introduction to Zach's background and involvement with the Bitcoin Policy Institute, Peer-to-Peer Rights Foundation.

(00:08:13) – Zach's perspective on various technologies: Bitcoin, stablecoins, DAOs.

(00:12:21) – Debate on fungibility: Bitcoin vs Monero.

(00:17:09) – Is Bitcoin functionally fungible? Legal and policy perspectives.

(00:20:00) – Cash vs Bitcoin legal treatment in cases of stolen funds.

(00:28:57) – Mining decentralization: ASICs, CPUs, regulatory capture.

(00:33:18) – Zach’s overall take on Monero vs Bitcoin.

(00:36:15) – Explanation of 3 key crypto-related bills (Genius Act, Clarity Act, Anti-CBDC Bill)

(00:43:23) – Implications of Section 110 for privacy developers.

(00:46:25) – Concerns over Genius Act enabling “backdoor CBDC.”

(00:53:00) – What would Satoshi think about current crypto laws and stablecoins?

(00:58:02) – Genius Act’s effect on algorithmic stablecoins (likely banned).

(01:02:12) – Genius Act vs Clarity Act: Pros and cons for Monero.

(01:06:01) – Eliminating capital gains for crypto use — is it possible?

(01:07:50) – Comments on the Bank Secrecy Act, impact of Calirty Act for Monero, NY’s BitLicense, and Monero exchange bans.

(01:11:18) - Closing Remarks

GUEST LINKS:

https://x.com/zackbshapiro

Purchase Cafe & tip the farmers w/ XMR! https://gratuitas.org/

Purchase a plug & play Monero node at https://moneronodo.com

SPONSORS:

Cakewallet.com, the first open-source Monero wallet for iOS. You can even exchange between XMR, BTC, LTC & more in the app! Monero.com by Cake Wallet - ONLY Monero wallet (https://monero.com/)

StealthEX, an instant exchange. Go to (https://stealthex.io) to instantly exchange between Monero and 450 plus assets, w/o having to create an account or register & with no limits.

WEBSITE: https://www.monerotopia.com

CONTACT: [email protected]

ODYSEE: https://odysee.com/@MoneroTalk:8

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/monerotalk

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/MoneroTalk

HOST: https://twitter.com/douglastuman

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/monerotalk

TELEGRAM: https://t.me/monerotopia

MATRIX: https://matrix.to/#/%23monerotopia%3Amonero.social

MASTODON: @[email protected]

MONERO.TOWN: https://monero.town/u/monerotalkAny donation is greatly appreciated!Any donation is greatly appreciated!

...more

View all episodes

By Monero Talk

4.5

4343 ratings