WASHINGTON, March 5 - U.S. banking regulators on Thursday made clear that banks should not be asked to maintain additional capital specifically because a security is issued or transacted using blockchain technology. In joint guidance, the Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency said their capital rules are "technology neutral."
The agencies said they prepared the guidance in response to rising interest from banks in representing ownership rights in tokenized securities. "The technologies used to issue and transact in a security do not generally impact its capital treatment," the agencies said in a statement.
Regulators' clarification aims to ensure that tokenized securities - instruments that use blockchain or similar distributed-ledger technology to record ownership or transfer rights - are treated the same as conventional securities for the purposes of bank capital calculations. The statement does not create a new regulatory regime but reiterates that existing capital rules apply regardless of the technology used.
Industry participants have argued that tokenized shares could alter market mechanics by enabling trading around the clock and offering near-instant settlement, which proponents say could lift liquidity and lower transaction costs. Some firms have created experimental stock tokens recorded on blockchain ledgers, while many tokenized shares remain pegged to traditional public-company shares and are issued by third parties.
Several crypto-focused firms moved quickly last year as the industry sought to take advantage of a global increase in interest in digital assets. Buoyed by President Donald Trump’s pro-crypto stance and his administration’s push for friendly regulations, companies including Robinhood, Kraken and Gemini launched tokenized stocks in Europe during that period.
Beyond equities, established asset managers and fund firms have also entered the space. The guidance noted that other market participants, including BlackRock and Franklin Templeton, offer tokenized treasury products.
Industry note and product mention
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