The U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has finalized rules governing payment stablecoin issuance, reserves, redemptions and certain custody activities, establishing a regulatory framework that will apply from Jan. 18, 2027.
According to Cointelegraph, the rules implement the GENIUS Act for entities overseen by the OCC. The framework is intended to set operating requirements for payment stablecoins, digital assets generally designed to maintain a stable value and used for payments or related transactions.
Reserve backing and redemptions
Under the final rule, issuers must hold reserves valued at no less than the amount of their outstanding payment stablecoins. The requirement is intended to ensure that the assets supporting the stablecoins match the value of the tokens in circulation.
Issuers will also generally be required to process redemption requests within two business days. Redemption is the process through which a stablecoin holder exchanges tokens for the asset or money specified under the issuer’s arrangement.
The rule covers national banks, federal savings associations, federal branches and their subsidiaries. It also applies to nonbank companies that seek or obtain federal qualified issuer status. State-qualified issuers may fall under the rule when the OCC has regulatory or enforcement authority over them.
Yield restrictions and regulatory scope
The final rule maintains the GENIUS Act’s prohibition on issuers paying holders interest or yield solely because they hold, use or retain their stablecoins. The OCC removed a proposed presumption that certain arrangements involving affiliates or other related third parties would automatically breach that prohibition.
Although that presumption was dropped, the agency said it retains authority to act against efforts designed to evade the ban. The distinction leaves the prohibition in place while removing the proposed automatic treatment for the specified affiliate-related arrangements.
The OCC said both its final rule and the GENIUS Act will take effect on Jan. 18, 2027. Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould described the framework as providing standards for reserve backing, redemptions and risk management while allowing stablecoin innovation.
The agency has not yet begun announcing application procedures under the new framework. It said it will separately provide information on when it will process issuer applications and waiver requests. Requirements related to the Bank Secrecy Act, anti-money-laundering controls and sanctions will be addressed in separate rulemaking by the OCC and the Treasury Department.
Moneyiar market picture
Moneyiar data at 12:59 p.m. on Oct. 21, 2026, showed the following prices and moves:
- STABLE: $0.0270599418, up 5.32% over 24 hours and 0.84% over seven days.
- COMP: $25.8500150992, up 14.49% over 24 hours and 13.81% over seven days.
- GENIUS: $0.3097165447, up 3.32% over 24 hours and down 3.75% over seven days.
- TROLL: $0.036160318, up 10.94% over 24 hours and down 5.07% over seven days.
These market figures describe the listed assets’ performance at the stated time and do not indicate how the OCC’s rule will affect any particular token or issuer.
