U.S. government agencies are urgently working together on a joint regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies, Federal Reserve Vice Chair of Supervision Randal Quarles has confirmed. “We along with the OCC and the FDIC are engaged right now in what we are calling a sprint in seeking to pull together views on” crypto regulation.
US Agencies Collaborating on Joint Regulatory Framework for Cryptocurrencies
Federal Reserve Vice Chair of Supervision Randal Quarles talked about regulators’ efforts on cryptocurrency supervision on Tuesday, Reuters reported. Answering a question from a member of the Senate banking committee about cryptocurrency and its illicit use, Quarles referenced work done by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) on this topic.
He confirmed that U.S. financial regulatory agencies are working together on addressing issues related to cryptocurrency, stating:
We, along with the OCC and the FDIC, are engaged right now in what we are calling a sprint in seeking to pull together views on exactly that.
Quarles noted that the discussions that regulators are having include a common regulatory framework, capital treatment, and operational treatment. Emphasizing that a joint framework for supervision is a “high priority,” he said that he expects to have some results “soon.”
Quarles’ statement on Tuesday reiterates what he told Representative Tom Emmer during a Hearing at the House Committee of Financial Services. Quarles and the new Acting Comptroller of the Currency, Michael Hsu, acknowledged that multiple agencies are coordinating regulatory approaches to cryptocurrencies. Hsu, who has asked for a review of all crypto standards at the OCC after he took office, told the committee:
This is a really really important issue. I think the rise of crypto has garnered a lot of attention.
