The long-awaited policy statement on Crypto policy was just released

The long-awaited policy statement on Crypto policy was just released by the three agencies that would be collectively engaged in supervision. The stated purpose of their working on the collaborative effort is to bring clarity to promote safety, soundness, consumer protection, and compliance with current finance statutes and rules.

Staff from the Federal Reserve, FDIC, and OCC, first worked to understand crypto-assets and then determine their organization’s potential involvement. Involvement included:

• Custody of crypto-assets
• Sales and purchase facilitation
• Collateralized loans by crypto
• Payment activities including stablecoins
• Bank balance sheet crypto-assets

Based on their review, they created a list to provide greater clarity on whether banking organizations are legally permitted to engage in specific activities related to crypto-assets. During 2022 the agencies plan to provide guidance on:

• Crypto-asset safekeeping and traditional custody services
• Ancillary custody services
• Facilitation of customer purchases and sales of crypto-assets
• Issuance and distribution of stablecoins
• Activities involving the holding of crypto-assets on balance sheets

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