Treasury Initiates Rulemaking for Federal Payment Stablecoin Reserve Framework ∞ Regulation

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Briefing

The U.S. Treasury Department has initiated the rulemaking process for the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act, mandating the architecture of a comprehensive federal regulatory framework for payment stablecoins. This action immediately shifts the compliance focus for issuers and digital asset service providers (DASPs) from legislative uncertainty to operational execution, requiring the implementation of 100% liquid reserve backing and enhanced Anti-Money Laundering (AML)/sanctions controls. The most critical forthcoming deadline is July 18, 2028, after which DASPs are prohibited from offering or selling non-compliant payment stablecoins to U.S. persons.

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Context

Prior to the GENIUS Act, the issuance of stablecoins in the U.S. operated within a patchwork of inconsistent state-level money transmission laws, with no unified federal standard governing reserve composition, redemption rights, or systemic risk management. This legal ambiguity created significant market uncertainty, fragmented oversight, and exposed the ecosystem to financial instability risks, particularly concerning the quality and liquidity of asset reserves. The GENIUS Act, enacted on July 18, 2025, was specifically designed to resolve this uncertainty by establishing a singular, preemptive federal regime.

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Analysis

This rulemaking compels all prospective Payment Stablecoin Issuers (PPSIs) to immediately re-architect their entire operational and compliance frameworks. The requirement for 100% reserve backing in safe, liquid assets directly alters capital management and product structuring models, demanding a shift toward holding U.S. currency or short-term Treasuries. The explicit subjection of issuers to the Bank Secrecy Act necessitates a significant upgrade to AML/Know Your Customer (KYC) and sanctions compliance systems, including the technical capability to seize or freeze assets upon lawful order. For Digital Asset Service Providers (DASPs), the new framework introduces a critical vendor due diligence requirement, as they must verify a stablecoin’s compliant status before offering it to U.S. customers, effectively creating a two-tiered market for digital assets.

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Parameters

Reserve Requirement Standard ∞ 100% backing in safe, liquid assets (e.g. U.S. currency, short-term Treasuries).
GENIUS Act Enactment Date ∞ July 18, 2025.
ANPRM Publication Date ∞ September 18, 2025.
DASPs Non-Compliance Deadline ∞ July 18, 2028 (The date DASPs must stop offering non-compliant stablecoins).

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Outlook

The next phase involves industry stakeholders submitting comments to the Treasury ANPRM, which will shape the final rule’s technical details, particularly the criteria for Foreign Payment Stablecoin Issuer (FPSI) comparability and the definition of “interoperability.” The resulting final rule will set a definitive global precedent for stablecoin regulation, likely influencing other jurisdictions and accelerating the integration of regulated stablecoins into traditional financial rails. This action will simultaneously create a high barrier to entry for non-compliant issuers, solidifying the market position of those who achieve the new federal standard.

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Verdict

The GENIUS Act rulemaking definitively establishes the regulatory foundation for payment stablecoins, transforming them from an unregulated liability into a fully compliant, systemic instrument of the U.S. financial system.

Federal stablecoin regulation, payment stablecoin issuer, reserve requirements, anti money laundering, sanctions compliance, distributed ledger, nonbank issuer, digital asset service, foreign stablecoin regime, market structure, consumer protection, financial stability, Treasury rulemaking, GENIUS Act, US dollar backing Signal Acquired from ∞ mayerbrown.com