The UK and the US expand cooperation on digital asset regulation, planning to establish comparable standards for stablecoins
The U.S. Department of the Treasury issued a joint statement outlining the discussions from the U.S.-UK Financial Regulatory Working Group meeting held on July 8 in London. The regulatory agencies from both sides expanded their collaboration in areas such as digital assets, stablecoins, payment modernization, AI, financial stability, capital markets, and cross-border financial cooperation. Participants included the finance departments of both countries, the Bank of England, the Federal Reserve, the UK's Financial Conduct Authority, and several U.S. financial regulatory agencies.The U.S. side introduced the implementation progress of the stablecoin GENIUS Act and the market structure for digital assets, while the UK side presented the digital strategy for wholesale financial markets. Both sides support comparable regulatory standards for stablecoins, including cross-border use, comparable treatment of similar risks, and that stablecoins used as currency should be backed by high-quality liquid assets at least on a one-to-one basis. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation has proposed implementation standards for the GENIUS Act, covering reserves, redemption, capital, liquidity, risk management, custody, and safekeeping.The Bank of England has released a draft rule for stablecoins that could achieve systemic scale in the UK economy, including a temporary issuance cap of £40 billion for each systemic stablecoin, unrestricted use by individuals and businesses, and reserve requirements. The Financial Regulatory Working Group is expected to hold another meeting in early 2027.