FSB Consults on Recommendations to Address Risks of Global Stablecoins

The consultative document describes global stablecoins and how they may differ from other crypto-assets and other stablecoins; and analyzes the potential risks raised by global stablecoins. The document considers the challenges arising in a cross-border context, including the need for cross-border cooperation and coordination, before making high-level recommendations for regulatory, supervisory and oversight responses, including multilateral actions. The document also outlines the key international financial regulatory standards from BCBS, Financial Action Task Force, CPMI, and IOSCO that could apply to global stablecoins. FSB has made the following recommendations:

• Authorities should have and utilize the necessary powers and tools, and adequate resources, to comprehensively regulate, supervise, and oversee a global stablecoin arrangement and its multi-functional activities.
• Authorities should apply regulatory requirements to global stablecoin arrangements on a functional basis, as proportionate to their risks.
• Authorities should ensure that there is comprehensive regulation, supervision, and oversight of the global stablecoin arrangement across borders and sectors. Authorities should cooperate and coordinate with each other, both domestically and internationally, to foster efficient and effective communication and consultation to support each other in fulfilling their respective mandates and to facilitate comprehensive regulation, supervision, and oversight of a global stablecoin arrangement across borders and sectors.
• Authorities should ensure that global stablecoin arrangements have in place a comprehensive governance framework with a clear allocation of accountability for the functions and activities within the global stablecoin arrangement.
• Authorities should ensure that global stablecoin arrangements have effective risk management frameworks in place, especially with regard to reserve management, operational resiliency, cyber-security safeguards, anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism and proliferation (AML/CFT) measures, and fit-and-proper requirements.
• Authorities should ensure that global stablecoin arrangements have in place robust systems for safeguarding, collecting, storing, and managing data.
• Authorities should ensure that global stablecoin arrangements have appropriate recovery and resolution plans.
• Authorities should ensure that global stablecoin arrangements provide to users and relevant stakeholders comprehensive and transparent information necessary to understand the functioning of the global stablecoin arrangement, including with respect to its stabilization mechanism.
• Authorities should ensure that global stablecoin arrangements provide legal clarity to users on the nature and enforceability of any redemption rights and the process for redemption, where applicable.
• Authorities should ensure that global stablecoin arrangements meet all applicable regulatory, supervisory, and oversight requirements of a jurisdiction before commencing any operations in that jurisdiction; authorities should also construct systems and products that can adapt to new regulatory requirements, as necessary.

The recommendations respond to a call by the G20 to examine regulatory issues raised by global stablecoin arrangements and to advise on multilateral responses as appropriate, taking into account the perspective of emerging market and developing economies. The recommendations build on a comprehensive assessment of the existing regulatory, supervisory, and oversight approaches from FSB and non-FSB jurisdictions.

Related Links

• Press Release
• Consultative Document (PDF)

Comment Due Date: July 15, 2020

Keywords: International, Banking, Securities, Recommendations, Crypto Assets, Cross-Border Cooperation, Proportionality, Recovery and Resolution, Governance, G20, Stable Coins, Digital Currencies, FSB