The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) is pushing to finalize its stablecoin rules before the end of the year. OCC Comptroller Jonathan Gould told attendees at the Wyoming Blockc
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) is pushing to finalize its stablecoin rules before the end of the year. OCC Comptroller Jonathan Gould told attendees at the Wyoming Blockchain Symposium in Jackson Hole on August 19 that the agency intends to publish a final rulebook under the GENIUS Act by November, ahead of the law's January 2027 effective date.
The announcement comes after the OCC missed its statutory deadline. The GENIUS Act required federal regulators to finalize implementing rules by July 18, 2026, exactly one year after enactment, but that date passed without a confirmed final rule from the OCC. The agency has been weighing industry feedback on its 376-page proposed rulemaking, which was released in February and covered capital and liquidity requirements, jurisdiction over stablecoin regulation, and risk management standards for issuers.
Gould said the agency reviewed comments submitted during the 60-day public comment period, which closed on May 1, and is now incorporating that feedback into the final rule. He added that the OCC expects to begin processing stablecoin issuer applications in 2027, once the final framework is in place.
President Trump signed the GENIUS Act into law on July 18, 2025, establishing the first federal regulatory framework for payment stablecoins in the United States. The law requires stablecoins to be fully backed by US dollars or similarly liquid assets, and mandates annual audits for issuers with a market capitalisation above $50 billion. Issuers are also subject to anti-money laundering obligations, addressed through separate rulemaking coordinated with the Treasury Department.
The timing of the OCC's final rule carries practical consequences. If the OCC finalizes its rule in November, a 120-day clock would push the law's effective date to around March 2027. If finalization slips past mid-September 2026, the January 18, 2027 statutory date becomes the controlling deadline, compressing the compliance window for issuers considerably. The OCC is not the only agency involved: the FDIC and NCUA are advancing separate but coordinated rulemakings, since each oversees different types of financial institutions.
Sources:The Block: OCC races to finalize GENIUS Act stablecoin rules by NovemberOCC: Request for Comments on Proposal to Implement GENIUS ActCryptopolitan: OCC's Gould pledges final GENIUS Act stablecoin rules by November
