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The UK’s primary financial institution, the Bank of England (BOE), has unveiled a suggested regulatory framework for stablecoins. The consultation document considered the viewpoints of the cryptocurrency sector, yet some analysts assert it still appears limiting.
BOE published the paper on Nov. 10 — approximately two years subsequent to its initial discussion paper announcement. The original document presented a perspective for cryptocurrency that many within the industry argued would hinder the UK’s digital asset landscape.
The BOE stated it received input and insights from a diverse array of 46 distinct stakeholders, comprising “banks, non-bank payment service providers, payment system operators, trade organizations, academic institutions, and individuals.”
The UK’s central bank may have discarded some of its more stringent stipulations, but some industry players contend that it’s insufficient. Tom Rhodes, chief legal officer at the UK-based stablecoin provider Agant, stated that the bank remains “disproportionately wary and limiting.”
Bank of England remains cautious on stablecoins
The updated version offers several enhancements over the 2023 iteration, Rhodes informed Cointelegraph.
“The latest proposals introduce some pioneering features, such as direct BOE liquidity lines and the capability to repo reserves for liquidity reasons.”
He mentioned that regarding the UK market, “these suggestions can be further investigated and possibly broadened to establish a more competitive backing asset framework, without compromising stability.”
However, despite the “positive movement in the BOE’s attitude toward stablecoins,” it has been “remarkably vocal regarding the perceived dangers of stablecoins,” noted Rhodes.
Among the more contentious limitations in the document was the cap on what the BOE termed a “systemic retail stablecoin.” In the document, this is characterized as a stablecoin that is “extensively utilized by individuals for routine payments such as shopping and receiving salaries.”
The central bank desires to impose limits of 20,000 pounds for individuals and 10 million pounds for businesses accepting it as a payment medium. This marks an increase from the original suggestion, yet the concept of restrictions on how much cryptocurrency one can possess was not well-received by many.
Crypto influencer Aleksandra Huk tweeted, “The Bank of England aims to cap stablecoin holdings at £20,000. Who granted them authority to dictate what we can purchase, where to safeguard our funds, and the amount we can possess? […] Frankly, this is the ultimate promotion for privacy coins and for relocating from the UK.”
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There are several conditions to the recommended rule. Geoff Richards, head of community at Ontology Network, pointed out, “The proposal is applicable solely to sterling-denominated stablecoins utilized in UK payment systems that could potentially become ‘systemic.’ Not USDT, not USDC, not arbitrary DeFi tokens.”
Ian Taylor, a board member of the crypto industry advocacy group CryptoUK, conveyed to Cointelegraph that he comprehends the central bank’s more reserved stance, at least as it pertains to the stablecoin limits:
“The Bank of England has a mandate to safeguard financial stability. And that financial stability is tied to the banking structure. Therefore, as banks accept deposits and issue loans based on those deposits […] creates credit, this provides an economic advantage to any economy we possess.”
The BOE has valid concerns that withdrawing deposits from banks could undermine their lending capabilities, impacting financial stability. “Thus, that’s why they prefer a cautious approach.”
Rhodes indicated that the “vast majority” of UK stablecoins will not be encompassed by the regime anyway, at least not as indicated in the document. He pointed out that Mastercard was only acknowledged as a systemically significant payment system in 2021, and that non-systemic stablecoins will fall under the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) regulatory framework, “which is less stringent.”
Further developments needed as UK embraces crypto
Access to central bank liquidity and deposit accounts at the BOE was a welcomed update for stablecoin issuers. However, representatives from the crypto sector argue that there remains ample space for advancement in the central bank’s strategy.
Concerning the stablecoin limits, “The systemic thresholds continue to be ambiguous,” stated Rhodes. He indicated it would be beneficial to receive clarification from His Majesty’s Treasury regarding when an issuer has attained a sufficient scale to “pose a risk to the UK economy as a whole, prior to them acknowledging the issuer as systemic.”
Taylor also emphasized the challenges of enforcing these stablecoin caps. If the government is licensing an issuer, then they are the ones “accountable for monitoring each individual client or customer, whether wholesale, corporate, or retail, in terms of how many stablecoins they’ve provided them.”
The complication is that many individuals acquire their stablecoins on secondary markets or “various different sources.” People might receive stablecoins as part of their pay at work, or through on-exchange or peer-to-peer transactions. “Thus, the actual operational enforcement of that is questionable, and we’ve seen no details regarding that.”
In general, “clarity and promptness” will enhance the UK stablecoin ecosystem’s competitiveness, asserted Arvin Abraham, partner at Goodwin Procter. He stated to Cointelegraph that regulators must provide issuers “a smooth pathway and predictable schedules” to navigate the approval process.
Speed, however, is not the government’s strong point.
The British government has been deliberating on crypto regulations since 2017, when it first implemented Anti-Money Laundering and Know Your Customer obligations for crypto-related enterprises such as exchanges. Now, eight years later, the central bank is still formulating its policies based on industry feedback.
The sluggish advancement poses an issue. According to Taylor, “We’ve been consulting on a broader framework to regulate stablecoins for nearly five years, and we still haven’t established any actual licensing framework, which is troublesome for several reasons,” he remarked.
“It doesn’t assist businesses aiming to launch stablecoins in the UK. They lack a clear guideline on how to achieve that,” he articulated, “which consequently compels them to relocate offshore to jurisdictions with regulatory frameworks that are already operational.”
This occurs for numerous reasons, Taylor clarified, including consecutive governmental changes, as well as a lack of “true advocates among our primary stakeholders, be that the current government, the Treasury, or the FCA.”
Progress on cryptocurrency regulations may be sluggish in the UK — slower than many in the sector desire — but for Abraham, “The Bank is being practical and just. The prevailing message is that innovation is welcome, but if you aim for your token to operate like money, you need money-grade controls.”
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