#OCC发布GENIUS法案首个最终规则
U.S. stablecoin regulation: the first to turn in its exam has arrived
After the GENIUS Act was signed in July 2025, the statutory deadline for issuing regulatory rules (July 18, 2026) came and went, and no one had turned anything in. Today, the OCC (Office of the Comptroller of the Currency) became the first to publish a final rule, with its effective date set in stone for January 18, 2027 (as reported today by The Block and CoinDesk).
Three points sum up the essentials:
First, this is the first final rule from a federal banking regulator, breaking the “no one’s turned anything in” deadlock. The Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve still have rules in the works;
Second, issuers need a “license to operate”: full reserves, redemption at par, and annual audits. Foreign issuers must clear the same hurdles to enter the U.S. market;
Third, existing stablecoin rewards programs at exchanges won’t be grandfathered in. The OCC will review them one by one—which means regulators will scrutinize the interest you earn on stablecoins, program by program.
Put simply: stablecoins are officially moving from the “get in first” era to the “get your license first” era.
Who do you think will be the first to get the OCC’s “license to operate”—Tether or Circle? Pick one in the comments.
$USDT $USDC
U.S. stablecoin regulation: the first to turn in its exam has arrived
After the GENIUS Act was signed in July 2025, the statutory deadline for issuing regulatory rules (July 18, 2026) came and went, and no one had turned anything in. Today, the OCC (Office of the Comptroller of the Currency) became the first to publish a final rule, with its effective date set in stone for January 18, 2027 (as reported today by The Block and CoinDesk).
Three points sum up the essentials:
First, this is the first final rule from a federal banking regulator, breaking the “no one’s turned anything in” deadlock. The Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve still have rules in the works;
Second, issuers need a “license to operate”: full reserves, redemption at par, and annual audits. Foreign issuers must clear the same hurdles to enter the U.S. market;
Third, existing stablecoin rewards programs at exchanges won’t be grandfathered in. The OCC will review them one by one—which means regulators will scrutinize the interest you earn on stablecoins, program by program.
Put simply: stablecoins are officially moving from the “get in first” era to the “get your license first” era.
Who do you think will be the first to get the OCC’s “license to operate”—Tether or Circle? Pick one in the comments.
$USDT $USDC