FDIC to Propose Stablecoin Regulatory Framework Under GENIUS Act

Article Highlights

• The FDIC is preparing to propose a framework for implementing US stablecoin laws.
• This will be done under the GENIUS Act, aimed at providing oversight and licensing for regulators.
• The proposed regulations include capital, liquidity, and reserve asset diversification standards for stablecoin issuers.
• The FDIC is also working on providing guidance on tokenized deposits.
• The Federal Reserve is collaborating with other regulators to develop stablecoin regulations.

The US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) will propose a framework for implementing US stablecoin laws later this month, according to its acting chair, Travis Hill. “The FDIC has begun work to promulgate rules to implement the GENIUS Act; we expect to issue a proposed rule to establish our application framework later this month,” Hill said in prepared testimony to be delivered on Tuesday to the House Financial Services Committee.

He added the agency will also have a “proposed rule to implement the GENIUS Act’s prudential requirements for FDIC-supervised payment stablecoin issuers early next year.” President Donald Trump signed the GENIUS Act in July, which created oversight and licensing regimes for multiple regulators, with the FDIC to police the stablecoin-issuing subsidiaries of the institutions it oversees.

The FDIC insures deposits in thousands of banks in the event that they fail, and under the GENIUS Act, it will also be tasked with making “capital requirements, liquidity standards, and reserve asset diversification standards” for stablecoin issuers, said Hill. Federal agencies, such as the FDIC, publish their proposed rules for public feedback, and they then review and respond to the input, if necessary, before publishing a final version of the rules, a process that can take several months.

As for the Treasury, which will also regulate some stablecoin issuers, including non-banks, it began its implementation of the GENIUS Act in August and finished a second period of public comment on its implementation proposal last month.

FDIC is working on tokenized deposit guidelines

Hill said in his remarks that the FDIC has also considered recommendations published in July by the President’s Working Group on Digital Asset Markets. “The report recommends clarifying or expanding permissible activities in which banks may engage, including the tokenization of assets and liabilities,” Hill said. “We are also currently developing guidance to provide additional clarity with respect to the regulatory status of tokenized deposits,” he added.

Fed helping regulators with stablecoin rules

The House Finance Committee’s hearing on Tuesday will also see remarks from the heads of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the National Credit Union Administration, which will both have a role in implementing stablecoin rules. The House Finance Committee’s hearing on Tuesday will also see remarks from the heads of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the National Credit Union Administration, which will both have a role in implementing stablecoin rules.