US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen mentioned the Treasury shouldn’t be accountable for ‘quarterbacking’ between the CFTC and the SEC relating to their opposing positions towards crypto regulation.
Yellen made the assertion throughout a July 9 listening to earlier than the Home Monetary Providers Committee.
Opposing positions
Home Monetary Providers Committee Chairman French Hill mentioned that the SEC and CFTC have taken opposing authorized positions in federal courtroom on crypto and requested if the Treasury’s Monetary Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) is working to unite the 2 regulators.
Hill mentioned the council is “presupposed to quarterback for monetary threat.” Nevertheless, Yellen disagreed, stating:
“It’s not the job of the Monetary Stability Oversight Council to adjudicate.”
She famous that the Treasury had printed a report on crypto dangers, partly addressing dangers arising from an absence of settlement between regulators.
Earlier in her testimony, Yellen informed Hill she stays dedicated to attaining a regulatory framework for digital belongings and hopes the efforts “attain a great conclusion.”
Concentrated threat, Russian stablecoins
Yellen additionally responded to different questions associated to crypto. Congressman Mike Flood requested Yellen whether or not decentralized buying and selling protocols require a distinct method to regulation from centralized providers.
Yellen answered that the SEC and CFTC are trying on the challenge and added that some issues “might fall beneath the regulatory umbrella of the banking companies as properly.”
Flood additionally questioned whether or not SEC rulemaking may cut back custodial choices for crypto. He requested Yellen if a restricted variety of authorized custodians accessible to registered funding advisors (RIAs) for Bitcoin ETFs would introduce concentrated threat.
The Treasury secretary responded that the development may pose a “potential” threat however declined to reply with certainty with out extra particulars.
Congressman Brad Sherman commented on the Russian central financial institution’s plans to bypass Western sanctions with crypto. Yellen mentioned that the Treasury is “very attentive” to using crypto and stablecoins however doesn’t consider that Russia’s actions are substantial.