Just days ago, Kraken became the first cryptocurrency company in U.S. history to receive a Federal Reserve master account — gaining direct access to the same payment rails that traditional banks have controlled for decades. That breakthrough is the perfect lens for this conversation, because Dr. Tonya M. Evans's guest, Caitlin Long, has been fighting for exactly that kind of access for years. Long is the founder and CEO of Custodia Bank, a Harvard-educated Wall Street veteran turned crypto banking pioneer, and one of the most consequential voices in the fight to integrate digital asset firms into the U.S. financial system. In this wide-ranging conversation, Dr. Evans and Long unpack the mechanics and meaning behind Fed master accounts, the GENIUS Act's stablecoin framework, and why the current battle over stablecoin yield between crypto firms and legacy banks could reshape the entire future of money.

Together, they explore how tokenized deposits could revolutionize corporate payments, why U.S. dollar stablecoins are quietly extending American financial influence around the world, and what Africa's accelerating crypto adoption reveals about the practical utility of digital assets for communities traditional banking has never served. They also address the contradictions embedded in U.S. financial regulation and what the next generation of legal professionals needs to understand about building careers at the intersection of law, policy, and digital finance. Subscribe to Confidently Crypto on Apple Podcasts and Spotify so you never miss an episode, and watch the full video conversation on YouTube at Dr. Tonya M. Evans. And stay close — Dr. Evans's State of Crypto 2026 Report, Electing Crypto, is coming soon. Get on the list at ProfTonyaEvans.com to be first in line.

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📖 Author: Digital Money Demystified | Electing Crypto

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