Search interest for the term "stablecoin" has surged to an all-time high, eclipsing the previous peak set during the Terra/UST market collapse in mid-2022. This new wave of interest is directly attributed to the passage of the GENIUS Act of 2025, which establishes the first comprehensive federal regulatory framework for payment stablecoins in the United States.

The landmark legislation mandates that stablecoin issuers obtain federal or state charters and back their tokens 1:1 with high-quality liquid assets, such as U.S. dollars or short-term government securities. The Act aims to solidify the U.S. as a leader in digital assets while mitigating financial stability risks and clamping down on illicit activities.

The geographic concentration of search interest in Washington D.C. underscores the political and economic gravity of the new law. Unlike the crisis-driven searches of 2022, the current peak reflects proactive engagement from policymakers, financial institutions, and digital asset firms scrambling to understand and adapt to the new regulatory landscape. This signals a significant maturation of the industry, moving from a phase of unregulated innovation toward integration with the traditional financial system under clear legal guardrails.