Lawmakers call for stablecoin regulation, criticize SEC’s enforcement approach

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Congresswoman Maxine Waters, the starring Democrat connected the House Financial Services Committee, called for a bipartisan statement connected stablecoins by the adjacent of 2024.

During a committee hearing connected Sept. 24, Waters expressed optimism that a legislative woody could beryllium achieved, emphasizing the request for robust national regulations and user protections arsenic portion of the last framework.

Waters said:

“Mr. Chairman, earlier the extremity of this year, I privation america to onslaught a expansive bargain connected stablecoins and different long-overdue bills. Since 2022, we’ve been moving tirelessly to scope an statement and person some made concessions.”

Stablecoin bill

Waters and Republican Rep. Patrick McHenry, the committee chair, person been collaborating connected a measure to modulate stablecoins since 2022, with the extremity of creating a robust regulatory instauration for the industry.

The committee precocious a mentation of the measure successful 2023, but it has struggled to summation wider enactment owed to disputes implicit provisions allowing authorities regulators to o.k. stablecoins without the Federal Reserve’s input, a measurement Waters described arsenic “deeply problematic.”

Waters stressed the value of stablecoins being backed by unafraid reserves, specified arsenic short-term Treasury bills, to guarantee their stability. She besides emphasized the request for the Fed to support a cardinal supervisory role, akin to frameworks successful different countries.

McHenry expressed anticipation for advancement connected stablecoin authorities portion besides calling for broader regulatory clarity astir integer assets. He said he’s “optimistic” astir stablecoin regularisation and hopes that it volition pb to “much-needed clarity connected integer assets.”

With the extremity of the legislative league approaching, Congress indispensable walk important bills soon. McHenry besides noted that his abstracted crypto marketplace operation bill, known arsenic FIT21, could summation momentum earlier the twelvemonth concludes.

Commissioners testify

The proceeding besides featured testimony from each 5 US Securities and Exchange Commission commissioners, including Chair Gary Gensler and Commissioner Hester Peirce.

Lawmakers focused their questions connected the agency’s handling of integer assets and broader rulemaking issues, with Republicans criticizing the SEC’s “regulation by enforcement approach” and questioning whether the regulator was susceptible of providing regulatory clarity for the industry.

Peirce agreed with the lawmakers’ disapproval of the agency’s ambiguous attack to integer plus regularisation and stated that the SEC has the tools to supply wide guidelines but has failed to bash so.

She said:

“We’ve [SEC] taken a legally imprecise presumption to disguise the deficiency of regulatory clarity… We tin supply guidelines and take not to.”

Peirce further emphasized that the SEC’s vague stance connected token classification creates disorder successful the market. She argued that the bureau should person clarified that the tokens themselves are not securities, which would assistance usher secondary income and level listings.

Other commissioners echoed Peirce’s concerns, with Mark Uyeda noting that the SEC has a wide scope of tools disposable to code the regulatory gaps, including defining standards for token classification and crypto-related exchange-traded products.

The station Lawmakers telephone for stablecoin regulation, knock SEC’s enforcement approach appeared archetypal connected CryptoSlate.

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