By Michael Scott
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) recommenced a bilateral push on Capitol Hill to control stablecoins in the United States.
On April 17, Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) unveiled fresh stablecoin legislation, reviving legislators’ longstanding attempt at implementing an all-inclusive model from the crypto assets class in the U.S.
Bill Mandates Using Subsidiaries
The 117-page bill entails several definitions linked to the sector, listing guidelines on the federal and state levels for organizations to provide the supposed payment stablecoins.
Further, the bill requires organizations to use subsidiaries to conduct stablecoin activities. Stablecoins are crypto assets pegged to fiat currencies and sustain a constant price point.
This new requirement is different from how several firms have previously managed stablecoins. For instance, Binance once offered its Binance USD (BUSD) stablecoin via Paxos Trust.
Binance is not a bank, while Paxos Trust is not the cryptocurrency’s subsidiary. Nevertheless, the firms’ backing of BUSD gradually ended after Paxos was cautioned of a possible enforcement intervention by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 2023.
Bill Retains Dual Banking Model
Various guidelines would apply to forms based on the outstanding value of the issued stablecoins. Under the Lummis-Gillibrand Payment Stablecoin Act, a $10B limit is placed on state regulators’ capacity to approve and supervise non-depository trust firms involved in the stablecoin realm.
On April 17, Lummis posted that the law retains the dual banking model crucial to promoting the uniformity that federal and state financial institutions relished.
An online political news daily reported that Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Majority Leader, and pivotal House Financial Service Committee lawmakers met to deliberate about state legislation.
They allegedly talked about folding bipartisan law into a bill reapproving the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). In an interview, Gillibrand noted there is momentum. It can be executed rapidly as part of the Federal Aviation Administration’s reapproval.
Bill Illegalize Algorithmic Stablecoins
Lummis is mainly referred to as the ‘Bitcoin Senator,’ her support for crypto on Capitol Hill can be traced back to her election triumph in 2020. Nevertheless, she claims she purchased her financial Bitcoin in 2013, trusting its ability to solve the current financial system’s problems.
According to the new bill, issuing algorithmic stablecoins by U.S. stablecoin issuers would be illegal. Rather than utilizing assets to support the value of a stablecoin, algorithmic coins ensure that the price is pegged to the dollar with trading enticements.
Besides, the bill stresses the need for stablecoin issuers to retain one-to-one stablecoin reserves. Fiat-supported stablecoins are usually pegged to the dollar via cash and liquid assets such as United States Treasuries.
TerraUSD’s fall in 2022 resulted in algorithmic stablecoins evoking attention on Capitol Hill. This collapse shredded more than $40B.
Urgency to Govern Stablecoin Market
In February, United States Secretary Janet Yellen claimed that Congress should prioritize ratifying legislation governing the stablecoin market.
The bill comes after unveiling other crypto-associated bills, such as the Lummis-Gillibrand Responsible Financial Innovation Act in 2022.
The bill was reintroduced last year and explained the boundaries between the regulatory authority of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the SEC.
Currently, interventions to manage crypto in Capitol Hill no longer exist on the legislative rumoured drafts. However, Lummis hopes that the senators’ interventions might be fruitful before the election season, elevating to consume the legislators’ attention.
She noted they will keep pushing for weeks instead of months. Additionally, she claimed that Congress is fast drawing closer to a time where ‘politics takes over policy.’