Stablecoins
How are banks approaching dollar-backed digital assets (stablecoins)?
Stablecoins have moved from the edge of the
Banks are testing stablecoins for cross-border payments, liquidity management, and digital wallets. Some are also exploring how stablecoins can support interbank transactions or be issued directly by regulated institutions. As the landscape takes shape, stablecoins are starting to look less like an experiment and more like infrastructure.
-
At the start of 2022, Biden administration officials were cautious about how to regulate the commingling of cryptocurrencies and traditional finance. By the end of the year, agencies had taken a tougher stance, and the downfall of FTX portended more of the same in 2023.
January 1
-
The FTX collapse and other recent disasters in the cryptocurrency space show that there is an urgent need for oversight. A self-regulatory body would get there fastest, while preserving the ethos of cryptocurrency.
December 30
EndoTech -
Even as DeFi remains mostly unregulated, it offers no shield against the legal consequences of alleged fraud.
December 29
-
Federal agencies' complaints against FTX's leaders have led to scrutiny of the banks it worked with. While it's unlikely the bankers will be held accountable for the cryptocurrency exchange's wrongdoing, the case could make it more difficult any bank that wants to work with crypto-related businesses.
December 28
-
Sam Bankman-Fried has tried to suggest he didn't know what was happening at sister firm Alameda Research, which Caroline Ellison ran from Hong Kong while he was in the Bahamas. That casts his role in FTX's collapse as mismanagement rather than fraud. But Gary Wang, who was FTX's co-founder and based in the Bahamas with Bankman-Fried, doesn't fit into that picture.
December 23
-
Sam Bankman-Fried was released on a $250 million bail package after making his first U.S. court appearance to face fraud charges over the collapse of FTX, the cryptocurrency exchange he co-founded.
December 22
-
The remains of Sam Bankman-Fried's former empire FTX Group are drawing interest from some of the largest names in distressed investing, in a daredevil bet that heavily discounted creditor claims on the bankrupt cryptocurrency conglomerate will ultimately pay off.
December 20
-
Banks, fintechs and credit unions are cautiously investing in technology and customer experience as next year's economy remains uncertain.
December 19
-
The top U.S. financial regulators are worried about the prospect of deeper ties between digital-asset firms and Wall Street.
December 19
-
The crypto exchange Binance.US will buy Voyager Digital's assets out of bankruptcy in a deal worth $1.022 billion, a discount to an earlier, failed sale struck with FTX.
December 19
The first three months of the year coincide with the start of President Donald Trump's second term in office. Investors are likely to be more interested in banks' outlooks amid swings in tariff policy than the first-quarter results.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How are banks approaching dollar-backed digital assets (stablecoins)?
Stablecoins have moved from the edge of the crypto, world to the center of policy and banking conversations. As regulators and banks weigh their role in payments, settlement, and reserves, this page follows the developments — from early pilots to proposed legislation.
Banks are testing stablecoins for cross-border payments, liquidity management, and digital wallets. Some are also exploring how stablecoins can support interbank transactions or be issued directly by regulated institutions. As the landscape takes shape, stablecoins are starting to look less like an experiment and more like infrastructure.
Why are banks paying attention to stablecoins?
Stablecoins are increasingly viewed as a potential upgrade to legacy payments systems. Banks are evaluating them for settlement, remittances, cross-border transactions, and tokenized deposit models.Are banks issuing their own stablecoins?
Some are exploring the option. Institutions like JPMorgan (with JPM Coin) and new entrants like PayPal are piloting bank-issued stablecoins, while others are watching regulatory developments before moving forward.How do stablecoins impact compliance and risk?
Issues include KYC/AML enforcement, cybersecurity, operational risk, and how reserve assets are held and reported. Banks exploring stablecoin activity must weigh both technological benefits and regulatory scrutiny.How are regulators responding to stablecoin innovation?
Congress is debating stablecoin-specific bills focused on reserve backing, issuer licensing, and oversight. The Federal Reserve, OCC, and state regulators are also shaping how bank involvement in stablecoin activity is supervised.How are banks using stablecoin?
Banks are using stablecoins to speed up cross-border payments, manage liquidity across global branches in real time, and test new forms of settlement between institutions. Some are integrating stablecoins into retail-facing digital wallets, while others are exploring interbank networks built on tokenized payments. These efforts are less about crypto speculation and more about making money move faster, with greater transparency and fewer intermediaries.- Real-time cross-border payments
- Internal liquidity management
- Retail-facing digital wallets
- Interbank tokenized payment networks
Top banks investing in stablecoin
List of institutions with greatest investment in stablecoin:- JPMorgan Chase – JPM Coin
- Custodia Bank – Avit Tokens
- Citigroup - Citi Token Services
- Societe Generale - USD CoinVertible
- Bank of America - Name yet to be released
- Fifth Third - Name yet to be released
- U.S. Bancorp - Name yet to be released