U.S. Department of Labor Urges ‘Extreme Care’ Before Adding Crypto to 401(k) Plans

2 years ago

The U.S. Department of Labor is recommending 401(k) program sponsors to “exercise utmost care” earlier they see adding a cryptocurrency enactment to their concern paper for program participants.

  • The Labor Department said it has go alert successful the past fewer months of firms selling crypto investments to 401(k) plans arsenic concern options, according to a statement Thursday.

  • “At this aboriginal signifier successful the past of cryptocurrencies, the Department has superior concerns astir the prudence of a fiduciary's determination to exposure a 401(k) plan's participants to nonstop investments successful cryptocurrencies, oregon different products whose worth is tied to cryptocurrencies,” the Labor Department wrote.

  • The Labor Department said crypto presents “significant risks and challenges to participants' status accounts, including important risks of fraud, theft, and loss." It highlighted arsenic reasons speculation and volatility, challenges to making informed concern choices, custodial and grounds keeping concerns, the deficiency of reliability of cryptocurrency valuations and an evolving regulatory environment.

  • Consequently, the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) plans to “take due enactment to support the interests of program participants and beneficiaries with respect to these investments,” according to the statement. Those actions would see questioning program sponsors that connection crypto investments however they tin grip the highlighted risks.

  • U.S. President Joe Biden signed a first-of-its-kind executive order connected cryptocurrencies connected Wednesday, directing national agencies to coordinate their attack to the sector. The “whole-of-government” effort to modulate the crypto manufacture focuses connected user protection, fiscal stability, illicit uses, enactment successful the planetary fiscal sector, fiscal inclusion and liable innovation, according to a fact sheet accompanying the order.

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Michael Bellusci is CoinDesk's crypto payments reporter.


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