The Fed: Crypto Poses ‘Key Risks’ to Banks, but Carry On

Three US financial regulators do not prohibit or discourage banks from providing crypto services to their customers, per a new statement

article-image

Triff/Shutterstock.com modified by Blockworks.

share

US banks appear to have the greenlight for most cryptocurrency dealings — despite a number of “key risks” the asset class poses to TradFi operators. 

Banks are “neither prohibited nor discouraged” from providing digital asset financial services to their customers, according to a joint statement issued by the board of the Federal Reserve and two other government entities on Tuesday.

The Fed’s board of governors, as well as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, issued a laundry list of perceived risks banks undertake when dealing with digital assets.

Referring to the “events of the past year” and the sector’s “significant volatility and the exposures of vulnerabilities,” the agencies voiced concern over risks that “cannot be mitigated or controlled” eventually carrying over to the banking system.

A number of top bulge-bracket US banks have favored a slow-and-steady approach to offering crypto investment products to clients — both institutional and retail. There have been notable exceptions, including Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan (despite misgivings of the latter’s chief executive Jamie Dimon). 

Tuesday’s guidance appeared to allow such crypto efforts to continue unabated for the time being. “It is important that risks related to the crypto-asset sector that cannot be mitigated or controlled do not migrate to the banking system,” the statement said.

Regulators said they’re “careful and cautious” on any current or proposed crypto exposures banks have undertaken or are set to undertake. 

“Based on the agencies’ current understanding and experience to date, the agencies believe that issuing or holding as principal crypto-assets that are issued, stored, or transferred on an open, public, and/or decentralized network, or similar system is highly likely to be inconsistent with safe and sound banking practices,” the statement said. 

Still, the financial watchdogs stopped short of prohibiting, or discouraging, banks from engaging in any specific types of cryptocurrency services. 

“The agencies will continue to closely monitor crypto-asset-related exposures of banking organizations,” the statement said.


Don’t miss the next big story – join our free daily newsletter.

Tags

Upcoming Events

WED - FRI, OCTOBER 9 - 11, 2024

Pack your bags, anon — we’re heading west! Join us in the beautiful Salt Lake City for the third installment of Permissionless. Come for the alpha, stay for the fresh air. Permissionless III promises unforgettable panels, killer networking opportunities, and mountains […]

MON - WED, MARCH 18 - 20, 2024

Crypto’s premier institutional conference returns to London in March 2024. The DAS: London Experience:  Attend expert-led panel discussions and fireside chats  Hear the latest developments regarding the crypto and digital asset regulatory environment directly from policymakers and experts   Grow your network […]

recent research

Pyth Cover.jpg

Research

Pyth is a low latency pull-based oracle. In a future that looks increasingly high frequency, with various alt L1s and L2s that have significantly shorter block times than Ethereum, and an explosion of “high-frequency” protocols such as oracle or CLOB perp DEXs, Pyth’s low latency oracle product looks much better positioned to capture a significant amount of market share in comparison to competitors.

article-image

The Binance executive is also reportedly set to make an appearance in a Seattle courtroom Tuesday

article-image

Monday developments reaffirmed the US as unfriendly to crypto while also offering a potential bullish outlook for segment firms, industry watchers say

article-image

It’s unclear what “actions” the CFTC, DOJ and Treasury will announce Tuesday afternoon

article-image

Some 18,000 accounts have already sent $27 million in crypto to a one-way bridge controlled by a Blast multisig

article-image

Telegram bots have seen a cumulative trading volume of over $4 billion

article-image

Avalanche has been inundated with transactions for inscriptions, similar to the Ordinals that already hit Bitcoin, Litecoin and Dogecoin