FEDERAL BANKING REGULATORS REMAIN CHILLY TOWARDS CRYPTO

In a joint statement of the FRB, OCC and FDIC, the lead federal banking regulators continued in a posture of wariness towards cryptocurrency:  “Based on the agencies’ current understanding and experience to date, the agencies believe that issuing or holding as principal crypto-assets that are issued, stored, or transferred on an open, public, and/or decentralized network, or similar system is highly likely to be inconsistent with safe and sound banking practices. Further, the agencies have significant safety and soundness concerns with business models that are concentrated in crypto-asset-related activities or have concentrated exposures to the crypto-asset sector.”   Its not always easy for them to be on the same page on regulatory matters, but they are on this one.

The guidance may be found here:  https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases/files/bcreg20230103a1.pdf