GENIUS Act Plumbing: US Treasury Seeks Public Input on Stablecoin Guardrails

The U.S. Treasury Department is officially opening the floor for public comment on how to implement the nation’s first major stablecoin law.

Treasury Invites Comment on Stablecoin Oversight

The Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) asks the public to weigh in on how the Treasury should tailor safeguards for payment stablecoins without choking off innovation. It’s an invitation to help shape the plumbing before the pipes are laid.

Passed in July, the GENIUS Act created the first full U.S. framework for stablecoins, narrowing issuance to insured depository institutions and approved nonbanks. In short: no wildcat mints.

The law essentially demands 1:1 reserves in high-quality liquid assets, public reserve disclosures, regular audits, Bank Secrecy Act compliance, and priority claims for consumers if an issuer fails. It also carves payment stablecoins out of securities and commodities classification.

Treasury stresses the ANPRM adds no new obligations; it’s a fact-finding mission. Comments are due within 30 days of Federal Register publication, and submissions will be publicly viewable.

This call builds on Treasury’s Aug. 18 request for input on detecting illicit activity involving digital assets, which remains open until Oct. 17. Translation: the department is collecting playbooks on both safety rails and tripwires.

From here, expect draft rules that define eligible issuers, reserve quality, disclosures, audits, and coordination across state and federal overseers—an attempt to keep fast payments fast while keeping the dollar’s digital shadow clean.