HFSC Session Brings Crypto Action to Fore, “Holistic” Capital Under Scrutiny
HFSC today largely focused bank regulators on the same range of questions posed at yesterday’s Senate Banking session (see Client Report REFORM214). However, Chairwoman Waters (D-CA) emphasized the importance of federal legislation in sharp contrast to Chairman Brown (D-OH), also announcing a hearing in December on FTX. Ranking Member McHenry (R-NC), who will become HFSC chairman in the next Congress, concurred with the chairwoman’s views on the need for digital-finance statutory reform. However, he took strong issue with inter-agency policy with regard to new capital rules, merger restrictions, and third-party relationship constraints. Republican members also targeted Vice Chairman Barr’s holistic capital review, arguing that banks are currently well capitalized and that additional standards would hamper lending. Mr. Barr indicated that an SLR rewrite is part of the holistic review but not immediately necessary to quell Treasury-market volatility or illiquidity. As discussed in more detail below, regulators promised banking-sector crypto rules at least as stringent as Basel’s proposal.