Faryar Shirzad, mentioned 35 times across podcast episodes and expert conversations analyzed by Sonic.

Faryar Shirzad

Policy executive at Coinbase, advocating for global crypto-friendly regulation.

Claims

As speaker

Mentioned in

Key positions and views

The rapid global adoption of US dollar stablecoins is a geopolitical event that pressures other countries to innovate or risk their currencies' relevance.

The primary obstacle to modernizing financial markets with blockchain is not technology but political resistance from incumbent financial firms protecting profits from market inefficiencies.

A comprehensive federal regulatory framework is urgently needed in the U.S. to replace the current 'chaotic' and burdensome patchwork of 50 state-level regulators.

International regulatory cooperation, specifically a US-UK mutual recognition agreement, is essential for creating deep, shared liquidity pools for digital assets.

The move to on-chain, instantaneous (T+0) settlement is an inevitable technological advancement being actively resisted by financial intermediaries for purely economic reasons.

Timeline

Past

Shirzad claims the U.S. government's stance on stablecoins was discouraging, leading innovators to either go overseas or abandon their projects.

Q3/Q4 Last Year

Identified as a turning point when incumbent financial institutions 'woke up' and began launching 'furious attacks' on pro-crypto regulatory proposals to protect their economic interests.

Last Year

A 'sea change' in the U.S. government's attitude occurred, creating a more permissive and encouraging environment for stablecoin developers.

Present

The U.S. and U.K. treasuries are engaged in a direct dialogue to coordinate regulations on crypto and tokenization markets.

Present

The Trump administration is reportedly attempting to establish and embed 'sound' crypto regulations to make them durable and difficult for a future, potentially hostile administration to reverse.

Podcast consensus on Shirzad

Points of consensus

▶All sources report Shirzad's claim that the CFTC has approved the use of stablecoins for derivatives trade settlement, which he views as a significant, positive development.May 2026

▶Shirzad consistently states across all appearances that incumbent financial players began launching 'furious attacks' on pro-crypto regulation starting in Q3/Q4 of last year, fearing a loss of 'economic rents'.May 2026

▶He consistently highlights that the treasuries of the United States and the United Kingdom are actively engaged in a dialogue to coordinate and collaborate on regulations for crypto and tokenization.May 2026

▶Across all sources, Shirzad asserts that the rapid adoption and scaling of U.S. dollar stablecoins is creating 'enormous concern' globally, pressuring other nations to develop their own digital currency frameworks to maintain relevance.May 2026

Points of debate

▶Shirzad describes a 'sea change' in the U.S. government's attitude, creating a 'permissive environment' for innovators, yet simultaneously characterizes the U.S. regulatory landscape for spot markets as a 'chaotic environment' with 50 different state-level regulators.May 2026

▶He points to the SEC Chairman's progressive goal of migrating capital markets on-chain for instantaneous (T+0) settlement, while also noting this vision is fiercely opposed by powerful financial intermediaries who profit from the current system's delays.May 2026

▶Shirzad frames the U.S. as a vigorous adopter of tokenized dollars that is causing global pressure, but also notes that the European Union was well ahead of the U.S. in establishing a comprehensive regulatory framework with its MiCA regulation.May 2026

▶He describes the current Trump administration's strategy as one of embedding pro-crypto regulations to make them hard to reverse, which contrasts with his claim that the U.S. government's past stance sent a message to innovators to take their ideas overseas.May 2026

Key themes

▶Geopolitical Currency CompetitionMay 2026

Shirzad frames the rise of U.S. dollar stablecoins as a major geopolitical event. He argues it is forcing other advanced economies, like the UK and Canada, to accelerate the creation of their own digital currency frameworks to prevent their national currencies from losing relevance.

This positions crypto regulation not merely as a domestic financial policy issue, but as a critical component of international economic statecraft and a new front in the global competition for currency dominance.

▶Incumbent Resistance vs. Technological InevitabilityMay 2026

A central conflict in Shirzad's narrative is the battle between legacy financial institutions and crypto innovation. He claims incumbents are actively attacking pro-crypto regulations to protect profits derived from market inefficiencies, such as settlement lags, which on-chain systems would eliminate.

The primary barrier to the adoption of more efficient financial systems, in Shirzad's view, is not technological feasibility but the political and economic power of entrenched interests defending their existing business models.

▶US Regulatory Paralysis and ProgressMay 2026

Shirzad portrays the U.S. regulatory environment as a paradox. On one hand, there is a positive 'sea change' in attitude and progressive actions from federal bodies like the CFTC. On the other, the lack of overarching federal legislation creates a 'chaotic' and burdensome patchwork of 50 state-level regulators for spot markets.

This internal conflict within the U.S. regulatory system creates significant uncertainty for businesses, suggesting that federal-level clarity is the single most important catalyst needed to unlock further innovation.

▶Coinbase's Agenda for Global Regulation

Shirzad's commentary outlines a clear and proactive policy agenda on behalf of Coinbase. Key objectives include passing federal legislation in the U.S., establishing a US-UK system of 'mutual recognition' to create shared liquidity pools, and advising other nations on stablecoin frameworks.

Coinbase is acting less like a passive market participant and more like a quasi-governmental advisor, attempting to architect the global regulatory rails on which the future of digital finance will run.

Source episodes

Suggested prompts

How does Shirzad reconcile the claim of a governmental 'sea change' in favor of crypto with his description of 'furious attacks' from politically powerful incumbent financial players? &nearr;What are the specific 'economic rents' Shirzad believes legacy financial firms are protecting, and how would on-chain settlement systems directly threaten them? &nearr;If the US and UK establish the 'mutual recognition' framework Shirzad advocates for, what would be the likely impact on other financial centers like the EU and Singapore? &nearr;Based on Shirzad's analysis, is the primary driver of US crypto policy a desire for technological innovation and market efficiency, or a geopolitical strategy to maintain dollar dominance? &nearr;

Key concepts

Stablecoins 3 ep US Regulation 3 ep Geopolitics 3 ep Incumbent Finance Opposition 3 ep CFTC 3 ep SEC 3 ep T+0 Settlement 3 ep US-UK Cooperation 3 ep MiCA (EU Regulation) 3 ep Tokenization 3 ep

Notable quotes

“what really has happened probably since Q3, Q4 of last year... is kind of the incumbent financial players have woken up and have launched some of the most furious attacks on these changes that we're talking about because of fears about what it'll do to the economic rents that come with their incumbency.”

Faryar Shurzad · Evolving Money: Stablecoins in Practice and Policy (Sponsored Content) | At the Money

“all around the world now, there's enormous concern that Because the U.S. has gone ahead and adopted so vigorously tokenized dollars... that there will be enormous pressure on foreign currencies in terms of how relevant they can become if the dollar becomes more accessible in stablecoin form.”

Faryar Shurzad · Evolving Money: Stablecoins in Practice and Policy (Sponsored Content) | Bloomberg Law

“The SEC chairman wants to migrate capital markets on chain... We can take that down to T plus zero, do instantaneous settlement. but a lot of folks who make their money off of that lag don't want that to happen”

Faryar Shurzad · Evolving Money: Stablecoins in Practice and Policy (Sponsored Content) | Bloomberg Law

“Passing federal legislation for crypto is Coinbase's number one policy objective.”

Faryar Shurzad · Evolving Money: Stablecoins in Practice and Policy (Sponsored Content) | Bloomberg Law

Report last updated: Jul 28, 2026

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