Catenaa, Thursday, November 06, 2025-Banking regulators worldwide are reassessing rules for crypto assets, especially stablecoins, as rising demand and new legislation challenge the 2022 Basel standards.
The review comes ahead of the planned global rollout of stringent capital requirements in January 2026.
The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) initially imposed high-risk weights, up to 1,250%, on unbacked crypto assets, deterring banks from holding or servicing them.
Stablecoins like USDC and Tether faced the same burdens despite lower volatility, limiting institutional access to digital assets.
Regulators are now considering amendments to ease capital charges for well-backed stablecoins while maintaining safeguards against systemic risk.
The United States is leading calls for revisions, arguing that the original framework is outdated. Singapore postponed implementation by a year, while Hong Kong plans lighter requirements for licensed stablecoins.
The European Union is integrating Basel standards into the Capital Requirements Regulation and MiCA framework, applying transitional measures that reduce risk weights for asset-backed stablecoins to 250%.
The United Kingdom is expected to maintain restrictive rules, with the Prudential Regulation Authority developing the CRYPTOPRU framework for crypto prudential supervision.
Industry groups, including the Global Financial Markets Association, are lobbying to ease “cliff-effect” penalties and allow tokenized traditional assets more favorable treatment.
Experts warn that without updated rules, over $1 trillion could migrate from emerging-market banks to stablecoins by 2028, reshaping global finance.
Regulators stress balancing innovation with financial stability as stablecoins continue gaining traction across payments, trading, and cross-border use cases.
