Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure

Federal Reserve (Fed) Governor Michelle Bowman is urging US regulators to abandon their “overly cautious mind-set” regarding cryptocurrencies, blockchain technology, and artificial intelligence (AI). 

Speaking at the Wyoming Blockchain Symposium, Bowman emphasized the need for a proactive approach to adapt to emerging technologies, marking a departure from the more conservative stance of previous regulatory bodies.

Bowman Advocates For Flexible Oversight 

Bowman, who was nominated to the Federal Reserve Board by President Donald Trump in 2018 and appointed as Vice Chair for Supervision earlier this year, stated, “Despite this past inertia, change is coming.” 

She underscored the importance of choosing to embrace this change and creating a regulatory framework that is both reliable and efficient. “We must ensure safety and soundness while incorporating the benefits of speed and efficiency,” she asserted. 

The choice is clear from a regulator’s perspective: we can either stand still and let new technology bypass the traditional banking system or help shape its future.

A key topic in her address was the recently passed GENIUS Act, which regulates stablecoins. This legislation, signed into law by President Trump, has positioned stablecoins at the forefront of discussions about the future of the financial system. 

According to Bowman, dollar-pegged cryptocurrencies have the potential to disrupt traditional payment infrastructures while offering new opportunities for the banking sector.

In addition to discussing stablecoin regulation, Bowman revealed that she is working on plans to adjust banks’ regulatory commitments according to their size and complexity. 

Fed’s Discontinuation Of Crypto Oversight Program

The Federal Reserve also disclosed last week the discontinuation of its “novel activities” supervision program, which was designed to monitor banks’ interactions with the cryptocurrency and fintech sectors. 

This program, launched in 2023, faced criticism for imposing significant restrictions on banks engaging with digital assets. The Fed has determined that such specialized oversight is no longer necessary, citing an improved understanding of the risks involved and how banks can effectively manage these challenges.

As reported by Bitcoinist, the central bank’s move is part of a broader effort to align with President Donald Trump’s vision of making America the “crypto capital of the world.” 

By incorporating digital asset oversight into its conventional bank supervision framework, the Federal Reserve aims to foster an environment that supports innovation in the financial sector.

Speculation about Bowman’s future role has also emerged, with her name mentioned as a potential successor to current Fed Chair Jerome Powell when his term concludes in May 2026. However, during a recent Bloomberg interview, she deflected questions about her aspirations for that position.

Governor Bowman’s remarks and the regulatory changes she advocates reflect a pivotal moment for the US financial landscape, as regulators seek to balance innovation with the need for safety and stability in the banking system.

Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com 

Editorial Process for bitcoinist is centered on delivering thoroughly researched, accurate, and unbiased content. We uphold strict sourcing standards, and each page undergoes diligent review by our team of top technology experts and seasoned editors. This process ensures the integrity, relevance, and value of our content for our readers.

Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman acknowledged that crypto firms experienced debanking due to regulatory uncertainty.

During the Wyoming Blockchain Symposium on Aug. 19, Bowman also announced a fundamental shift in the Fed’s approach to blockchain innovation.

She revealed the central bank eliminated reputational risk considerations from bank supervision in late June to address barriers preventing financial institutions from serving digital asset companies engaged in legal activities.

The Fed official stated:

“Your industry [crypto] has already experienced significant frictions with bank regulators applying unclear standards, conflicting guidance, and inconsistent regulatory interpretations.”

Bowman emphasized that banks should not face penalties for serving customers conducting lawful business operations, stating that customer selection decisions “lie solely within the purview of bank management” rather than regulatory interference.

Furthermore, she noted the Fed’s transition from an “overly cautious mindset” toward embracing blockchain technology within the traditional banking system.

She warned that regulators must choose between shaping technological frameworks or allowing innovations to bypass banks entirely, potentially diminishing the banking sector’s economic relevance.

The Fed is updating examination manuals and supervisory materials to ensure lasting implementation of the reputational risk removal policy.

Four-principle regulatory framework

The Fed Vice Chair established four core principles guiding the central bank’s new approach to digital asset regulation.

Regulatory certainty tops the list, addressing industry concerns about investing in blockchain development without clear supervisory standards.

Bowman questioned whether companies would partner with banks, knowing that regulatory scrutiny brings uncertainty, rather than pursuing alternatives outside the banking system.

Tailored regulation forms the second principle, requiring supervisors to evaluate use cases based on specific circumstances rather than applying worst-case scenario expectations.

The Fed must recognize unique features distinguishing digital assets from traditional financial instruments while avoiding one-size-fits-all approaches that fail to address actual risk profiles.

Consumer protection represents the third principle, ensuring customer-facing products comply with existing consumer protection laws, including prohibitions against unfair, deceptive, or abusive practices.

Digital asset frameworks must incorporate Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering requirements while maintaining bank safety and soundness standards.

American competitiveness completes the framework, positioning the US as the premier global innovation destination. Bowman warned that failing to establish appropriate regulatory structures could jeopardize long-term American leadership in financial technology development.

Technology integration and supervision changes

Bowman announced the Fed’s “novel supervision” activities will be reintegrated into Reserve Bank examination staff, reestablishing normal supervisory processes for monitoring banks’ innovative activities.

She proposed allowing Federal Reserve staff to hold minimal digital assets to develop a working understanding of blockchain functionality, comparing the necessity to hands-on learning rather than theoretical knowledge.

[Editor’s Note: This is an abrupt U-turn from previous government approaches, notably those of former SEC Chair Gary Gensler. Gensler taught college-level blockchain courses at MIT yet never actually touched a blockchain with his own funds, having admitted to never holding any digital assets and, therefore, never executing his own transactions.]

The Fed recognizes tokenization potential for facilitating faster asset ownership transfers while reducing transaction costs and settlement risks. Bowman noted that banks of all sizes, including community institutions, can benefit from efficiency gains flowing from asset tokenization technology.

Furthermore, she highlighted that the GENIUS Act passage and presidential signature position stablecoins as integral components of the financial system, with implications for traditional payment rails.

Bowman called for industry engagement to help regulators understand blockchain’s capacity for solving additional problems beyond current use cases.

She specifically requested input on leveraging new technologies to combat fraud, identifying this as an exciting collaboration opportunity between the Fed and the digital asset sector.

The Fed Vice Chair concluded that innovation and regulation complement rather than oppose each other in creating more modern, efficient financial systems.

Mentioned in this article

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is calling for a review of the central bank’s operations as Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell faces mounting pressure to resign.

In a new interview with Bloomberg Television, Bessent says that the Federal Reserve is in need of deeper scrutiny as its budget and operations have expanded over the years.

Bessent’s comments come as President Donald Trump has said he hopes Powell quits and has also considered attempting to remove him, all while slamming the Fed chair for not cutting interest rates.

“The President has said he is not going to fire Chair Powell. I was somewhat surprised that [economist] Mohamed El-Erian came out and said that [Powell should resign]. And what I’ve come out and said is that I believe that it would do Chair Powell a favor, and he would be doing the institution a favor, if he did an internal review, separate monetary policy from everything else.

And this is something that [economist and former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury] Larry Summers and I agree on, is this mission creep from the Fed is endangering their independence of monetary policy, all these other things that they’re engaging in could threaten monetary policy.

It is a big, sprawling institution. The central budget for the board is up 4x since 2004, and every institution needs to examine themselves.”

Bessent also says he’d support Powell overseeing the agency’s review, despite the criticism he’s facing.

“It could be a committee. It could be a group. They could invite outside experts in. The Bank of England after the 2022 rate hike shock went back and did a very good examination of what went wrong with monetary policy that brought in outside experts. I think an internal review would be a good start. And if the internal review didn’t look like it was serious, then maybe their could be an external review.”

Follow us on X, Facebook and Telegram

Don’t Miss a Beat – Subscribe to get email alerts delivered directly to your inbox

Check Price Action

Surf The Daily Hodl Mix

&nbsp

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed at The Daily Hodl are not investment advice. Investors should do their due diligence before making any high-risk investments in Bitcoin, cryptocurrency or digital assets. Please be advised that your transfers and trades are at your own risk, and any losses you may incur are your responsibility. The Daily Hodl does not recommend the buying or selling of any cryptocurrencies or digital assets, nor is The Daily Hodl an investment advisor. Please note that The Daily Hodl participates in affiliate marketing.

Generated Image: Midjourney

Three federal agencies of the United States government outlined the risks facing banks if they decide to custody crypto on behalf of their clients, according to a document published jointly by the agencies on Monday.

While the announcement said that the document “does not create any new supervisory expectations,” it could provide a framework for banks that are considering entering the crypto space, as some reports have suggested they are.

According to the document, titled “​​Crypto-Asset Safekeeping by Banking Organizations,” a bank’s risk assessment would include the ability to understand a complex and evolving asset class; the potential of liability if crypto assets were lost; and legal and compliance responsibilities associated with the Bank Secrecy Act and Anti Money Laundering regulations.

“Providing crypto-asset safekeeping services may entail significant resources and attention,” it reads. The three federal agencies responsible for the document are the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

Often, financial institutions use third parties to custody their crypto assets. Asset manager BlackRock, for instance, has used Coinbase and later Anchorage for the custody of its Bitcoin (BTC). BNY Mellon, the US oldest bank, also offers custody of digital assets for clients.

The document notes that banks are responsible “for the activities performed by the sub-custodian.” This advice could be significant in the future if a bank’s custodian is hacked and the crypto is lost.

The agencies write that audit programs are essential and should address the nuances of crypto assets, including key generation, controls related to the transfer and settlement of assets, and staff expertise. If the audit programs don’t exist within the bank itself, “management should engage appropriate external resources…to assess crypto-asset safekeeping operations.”

Related: Trump administration mulls ‘debanking’ executive order: WSJ

More favorable regulatory environment may appeal to banks

There have been indications that some banks are considering an entry into crypto. In May, The Wall Street Journal reported that a group of big banks was in “early talks” to issue a joint crypto stablecoin.

The banks may see the current regulatory environment as more favorable, especially as governing bodies have made a move into crypto easier. For instance, the Federal Reserve has eliminated the “reputational risk” criteria from its oversight of banks, which critics say was used to unfairly target crypto businesses.

Also in May, Acting Comptroller Rodney Hood wrote a letter to banks and federal savings associations saying they could buy and sell cryptocurrency that they are custodying at the direction of their clients. In 2025, the FDIC has undergone a “regulatory reset” and eased crypto restrictions for banks. 

Some native crypto companies are looking to go the opposite route: becoming a bank themselves. On July 2, Ripple, the creator of XRP (XRP), applied for a banking license with the OCC. Circle, the creator of stablecoin USD Coin (USDC), has done the same.

Magazine: Legal Panel: Crypto wanted to overthrow banks, now it’s becoming them in stablecoin fight

]]> https://earlybirdsinvest.com/us-federal-agencies-outline-key-risks-for-banks-eyeing-crypto-custody/feed/ 0 47653 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/federal-reserve-could-be-forced-to-panic-amid-potential-supply-shock-inflation-fundstrats-tom-lee/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/federal-reserve-could-be-forced-to-panic-amid-potential-supply-shock-inflation-fundstrats-tom-lee/#respond Sun, 22 Jun 2025 11:43:47 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/federal-reserve-could-be-forced-to-panic-amid-potential-supply-shock-inflation-fundstrats-tom-lee/

Fundstrat’s head of research, Tom Lee, says the Federal Reserve may be forced into a rate-cutting phase after overdoing monetary tightening.

In a new interview on CNBC, Lee says he’s watching for a point when the Fed could run into an “accident,” where it waits too long to address a slowing economy.

Lee says he’s anticipating a potential “panic” scenario from the Fed.

“There could be an accident because what we are ignoring is that housing is choking and collapsing under the weight of higher interest rates, and the labor market isn’t as strong as it appears.

When we look at the ability to get a job, it’s much harder. So… there’s long and variable lags, and there could be an accident where the Fed would have to panic, so I think that’s something we have to watch in the incoming data…

I think there could be a point where the Fed suddenly realizes the risks are actually to the downside for the economy weakening, and so the Fed will actually have to respond to an economy that they’re strangulating and really fighting what they believe is a supply shock inflation. So I’m a little concerned that the Fed could be late if they continue to hold.”

Follow us on X, Facebook and Telegram

Don’t Miss a Beat – Subscribe to get email alerts delivered directly to your inbox

Check Price Action

Surf The Daily Hodl Mix

&nbsp

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed at The Daily Hodl are not investment advice. Investors should do their due diligence before making any high-risk investments in Bitcoin, cryptocurrency or digital assets. Please be advised that your transfers and trades are at your own risk, and any losses you may incur are your responsibility. The Daily Hodl does not recommend the buying or selling of any cryptocurrencies or digital assets, nor is The Daily Hodl an investment advisor. Please note that The Daily Hodl participates in affiliate marketing.

Generated Image: DALLE3