- The OCC finalised stablecoin regulations covering reserves, redemptions, custody, risk management and supervision, effective 18 January 2027.
- The Treasury will work with regulators on separate rules covering financial crime and sanctions compliance.
- Meanwhile, Ripple welcomed the SEC’s proposed Regulation Crypto Assets framework but called for greater legal certainty around tokens and secondary-market transactions.
- Stellar, Cardano, Chainlink and other blockchain firms urged the SEC to formally include the “digital commodity” category in its rules.
The US is advancing its crypto regulatory framework while several blockchain firms have urged the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to adopt clearer rules for crypto assets.
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has finalised stablecoin regulations under the GENIUS Act, setting out how stablecoin issuers under its jurisdiction must operate.
The new rules cover reserve requirements, redemptions, custody, risk management and regulatory supervision. They apply to issuers under the OCC’s jurisdiction, including certain foreign stablecoin companies, and will take effect on 18 January 2027.
Rules concerning anti-money laundering and sanctions will be addressed separately in coordination with the US Treasury.
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US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called the GENIUS Act a “watershed moment in American finance” and said it would secure US leadership in the space, comparing the law to Abraham Lincoln’s National Currency Act.
“Just as President Abraham Lincoln’s National Currency Act of 1863 established a national framework for bank-issued currency, the GENIUS Act establishes a federal framework for payment stablecoins in the digital age.”
While the OCC has finalised its stablecoin regulations, the broader question of how other cryptos should be classified remains unresolved.
Industry Responds to SEC Proposal
On 18 August, the SEC proposed a new framework called Regulation Crypto Assets, which would clarify how securities laws apply to investment contracts involving crypto assets. The period for public comments closed on 20 October, and several blockchain firms made last-minute submissions.
Ripple, for example, has welcomed the SEC’s proposal, urging the regulator to adopt the framework while recommending several refinements. The company particularly supports distinguishing cryptocurrencies from investment contracts but wants stronger legal certainty for token issuers, exchanges and secondary-market transactions.
Meanwhile, the Stellar Development Foundation, the Cardano Foundation, Chainlink Labs, Hedera, Aptos Labs and Ava Labs praised the SEC’s March 2026 interpretation, which sorted crypto assets into five categories, and the proposed rule built on it.
Related: Bitwise and Hyperliquid Push SEC for Clearer Crypto Rules as Consultation Closes
However, they took issue with the fact that the “digital commodity” category appears only in the explanatory preamble, not in the rule text itself. They want it written into the rule so it becomes a durable legal standard rather than an interpretive position that could shift. They say this would give developers the regulatory certainty that influences where they build.
In total, the SEC received around 140 public comments.
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