U.S. Senate Banking Committee Throws Softball Questions To Stablecoins Issuers

Every witness who appeared in front of the committee seemed to have their own rallying cry for U.S. lawmakers, from calling for greater KYC/AML compliance to "avoid policies that encourage the growth of stablecoins." The Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs heard from several expert witnesses with knowledge of stablecoins who urged lawmakers to establish a clear regulatory framework but could not seem to agree on where lines would be drawn.In a Tuesday hearing on “Stablecoins: How do They Work, How Are They Used, and What Are Their Risks?” Hilary Allen, a professor at the....

As stablecoins issuers were put under the pressure of Democratic witnesses, Senator Pat Toomey released his own set of regulatory principles. On Dec. 14, the United States Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee held a hearing titled “Stablecoins: How Do They Work, How Are They Used, and What Are Their Risks?” The testimonies, both spoken and written, focused largely on the last two issues, as anxieties over Know Your Customer compliance and the U.S. dollar inflation threat dominated the discussion.Held less than a week after the House of Representatives Financial Services....

The senator said he had "significant concerns with the non-standardized terms applicable to redemption of particular stablecoins" in separate letters to eight crypto firms. Sherrod Brown, the chair of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, has called on several crypto firms to release information related to consumer and investor protection on stablecoins.According to a Nov. 23 announcement, Brown sent notices to Coinbase, Gemini, Paxos, TrustToken, Binance.US, Circle, Centre, and Tether requesting information on stablecoins by Dec. 3, suggesting that he and other....

View the full video of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs hearing on virtual currencies here. It was refreshing to see a Senate hearing kick off half an hour early for a change, and in a place with far more sitting room than room 538 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. Just before 15:00 ET, while aides were still preparing that room for the two-hour session, Senator Jerry Moran posted a question on reddit: "I'm one of the Senators attending today's US Senate Banking Committee hearing related to bitcoin. What would you like me to know?" He wanted wider input on....

The U.S. Treasury Department proposed regulating stablecoin issuers as banking institutions, which may be a great idea if stablecoin issuers are offered the same privileges as regulated banks. US Treasury Department Report: Stablecoins Regulation Is Urgently Needed The rise of stablecoins within the crypto ecosystem serves as a glaring reminder that cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology have outgrown their humble beginnings, gradually positioning themselves as challengers of brick and mortar finance’s existing hegemony. With the market capitalization of stablecoins expanding at....