Lords | Crypto

At a House of Lords hearing, witnesses cast doubt on stablecoins as mainstream money, backing strict Bank of England oversight and criticizing the "disastrous" US GENIUS Act for letting non‑banks into “the money business.” The United Kingdom’s House of Lords heard critical views on stablecoins Wednesday, with witnesses claiming that tokens were mainly “on- and off-ramps into crypto,” rather than the future of money. The House of Lords held a public session as part of its new inquiry into how stablecoins should be regulated in the country, gathering evidence on their role in payments, banking and financial stability. The Financial Services Regulation Committee (FSRC) grilled witnesses on stablecoins’ competition with banks, cross‑border use, illicit finance risks and their treatment under the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act. Read more

The parliamentary inquiry comes as regulators warn that stablecoins could drain bank deposits and reshape payments. The House of Lords Financial Services Regulation Committee has opened an inquiry into proposed stablecoin rules in the United Kingdom, seeking public input on plans put forward by the Bank of England (BoE) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The inquiry will examine how stablecoins could affect traditional financial services such as banking and payments, as well as the opportunities and risks created by their growing use in the UK, the committee said in a Thursday statement. Lawmakers said the review will assess whether the regulatory frameworks proposed by the BoE and the FCA provide “measured and proportionate responses” to developments in the stablecoin market, according to Baroness Noakes, chair of the committee. Read more