Regulation & Policy

February 24 News, the Federal Reserve announced the launch of a 60-day public consultation, planning to remove the key assessment indicator of "reputational risk" from the banking regulatory framework. This move is seen by the market as an important signal to improve the banking service environment for cryptocurrency companies. If the proposal is approved, banks will no longer face additional regulatory pressure due to subjective reputational concerns when providing accounts and settlement services to digital asset companies, thereby alleviating the long-standing "debanking" issue from an institutional level.

February 24 News, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Cryptocurrency Working Group announced an important personnel change. Chainlink Deputy General Counsel Taylor Lindman officially joined the working group as Chief Legal Officer, succeeding Michael Selig. This appointment is seen by the market as a significant signal of further professionalization of the U.S. digital asset regulatory system. On February 23, Chainlink confirmed Lindman's departure on its official X platform and expressed gratitude for his legal and compliance contributions over the past five years. Public information shows that during his tenure, Lindman was mainly responsible for regulatory compliance in the U.S. and international jurisdictions, and he has long been involved in key issues such as token classification, legal frameworks for smart contracts, and standards for digital asset record keeping. He has also frequently communicated and coordinated with policymakers.

White House Digital Asset Advisor Patrick Vitter outlined a compromise draft of the bill to representatives from the cryptocurrency industry and banking sector. The core provision bans companies from earning yields on idle stablecoin balances, shifting the discussion toward activity-based reward mechanisms linked to transactions or network participation. Data from the Polymarket prediction platform shows that the probability of the bill passing this year has dropped to 44% at one point.

The article discusses the significant upgrades in Digital RMB 2.0, transforming it into a deposit currency with interest accrual, while also granting commercial banks operating rights. Policy developments leave room for the tokenization of real-world assets, promoting the application of Digital RMB in both domestic and international circulation. The domestic cycle emphasizes on-chain trading of financial assets, while the international cycle focuses on Hong Kong becoming a core market for Digital RMB, fostering the internationalization of the RMB and the development of stablecoins, laying the foundation for future circulation of Digital RMB.

February 24 News, the U.S. Federal Reserve has officially advanced a regulatory proposal to end the "debanking" of the crypto industry and has opened a 60-day public comment period on related banking regulatory rules. This move is seen as an important signal of a shift in U.S. financial regulatory policy, and the crypto industry generally believes it could weaken the long-standing banking service restrictions that have troubled digital asset companies. According to official statements, the proposed rules aim to remove "reputational risk" as a core basis for banks to review clients from the regulatory framework, instead focusing on "material financial risk." Regulators have previously instructed banking authorities not to require financial institutions to close customer accounts solely based on reputational concerns, which means that legitimate crypto businesses may receive clearer institutional protections when opening bank accounts and accessing financial services.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently announced that broker-dealers holding USD stablecoins can apply a 2% capital discount. This policy will reduce the capital pressure on broker-dealers and promote the integration of stablecoins into the mainstream financial system. The market capitalization of stablecoins is currently about $296.1 billion, gradually becoming an important extension of the US dollar in the digital asset market. However, some Federal Reserve officials remain skeptical about the actual value of stablecoins.

February 24 News, the blockchain intelligence platform TRM Labs and banking infrastructure company Finray Technologies announced a partnership to jointly launch a unified monitoring system covering cryptocurrency and fiat currency transactions. The solution integrates Finray's compliance and decision engine XZiel with TRM's on-chain analysis tools to enable real-time risk alerts, automatic escalation handling, case management, and risk scoring for both crypto assets and traditional payments. The two parties pointed out that as stablecoin settlement and fiat payment processes accelerate integration, and with the implementation of the European crypto asset market regulation framework MiCA, financial institutions are facing higher levels of compliance and anti-money laundering scrutiny. A unified monitoring system for cryptocurrencies and fiat currencies is becoming a fundamental infrastructure requirement for banks, custodians, and corporate finance departments entering the digital asset space.

Trump Peace Committee plans to launch a USD stablecoin in Gaza to rebuild the local damaged payment system and prevent Hamas funding flows. However, the plan currently faces challenges due to the lack of a regulatory framework and has raised concerns within the industry. The plan needs to collaborate with digital currency professionals and establish secure digital infrastructure.

The Central Bank of Brazil officially advanced the regulatory framework for institutional virtual asset service providers (VASP) in February 2026. Based on Resolutions No. 519–521 issued in November 2025 and effective February 2, 2026, it established the licensing process for cryptocurrency companies and plans to implement related regulations in phases until 2027.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Cryptocurrency Task Force's new Chief Legal Advisor, Taylor Lindman, previously served as Deputy General Counsel at Chainlink Labs and has nearly ten years of legal experience. This move reflects the accelerating talent flow between the crypto industry and regulatory agencies. Hester Peirce welcomed this development, while the task force continues to expand and recruit industry professionals.

The Federal Reserve Board officially launched a 60-day public comment period on February 24 for a proposal aimed at explicitly removing "Reputational Risk" from the banking supervision and examination framework in the form of regulation. According to Bitcoin Magazine, if the proposal is officially approved, it is expected to significantly alleviate the long-term de-banking regulatory pressures faced by crypto companies.

Foresight News: Wang Chuang, the Chief of the Civil Second Division of the Supreme People's Court, stated during the press conference on "The People's Court Civil and Commercial Trial Service Guarantee for High-Quality Economic and Social Development" that, "In the future, we will focus on promoting the formulation of judicial interpretations for civil compensation related to insider trading, market manipulation, and other issues in the securities market, conduct in-depth research on judicial responses to new financial cases such as private equity funds and virtual currencies, and improve the financial judicial protection system."

The Federal Reserve Board is seeking public comment on plans to officially remove "reputational risk" from bank regulation, with the goal of preventing banks from being "debanked" due to customers' legitimate activities. This measure could alleviate the regulatory pressure faced by crypto companies.

Chainlink Labs former Deputy General Counsel Taylor Lindman has officially joined the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as the Chief Legal Advisor for the Cryptocurrency Working Group. Lindman has been with Chainlink for over five years, focusing extensively on legal matters related to oracle networks and smart contract data infrastructure in institutional finance scenarios.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced that former Chainlink Labs Deputy General Counsel Taylor Lindman has joined the SEC as the Chief Legal Advisor of the Cryptocurrency Special Working Group, replacing Michael Selig, who was promoted to CFTC Chairman. The working group focuses on regulatory discussions related to tokenization and decentralized finance.

BlockBeats News, February 23 — Cryptocurrency trading platform Crypto.com announced on Monday that it has received conditional approval from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, allowing it to apply for a federally chartered national bank license in the future. This approval will enable Crypto.com to offer digital asset custody and staking services under the federal regulatory framework.

Author: Tonya M. Evans Translation: Odaily Planet Daily Golem On February 19, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Trading and Marketing Division released a new FAQ clarifying how broker-dealers should handle payment stablecoins under the net capital rule. Subsequently, SEC Cryptocurrency Working Group Chair Hester Peirce issued a statement titled "A 2% Discount Will Do." Peirce stated that if broker-dealers apply a "2% discount" to their own positions in qualifying payment stablecoins when calculating net capital, rather than a punitive 100% discount, SEC staff would not object. Although this may sound somewhat obscure, this accounting adjustment could be the beginning of a softening of the SEC's stance on cryptocurrencies since early 2025.

Federal Reserve Chair Neel Kashkari strongly questions the practicality of cryptocurrencies, believing they have yet to prove any value, and compares their potential to that of artificial intelligence. He criticizes stablecoins for not bringing substantial upgrades to the financial system and argues that their advantages mainly do not target American consumers, highlighting his skepticism towards cryptocurrencies and contrasting with the government's supportive stance.

The central bank will focus on designing a regulatory framework for the so-called institutional VASPs, defined as organizations that operate infrastructure and provide crypto services to other institutions. The move would bring clarity to companies like Fireblock, Ripple, and Bitgo in the

The U.S. SEC's recent policy change allows broker-dealers to treat certain dollar-pegged stablecoins as near-cash instruments. This change reduces capital requirements and encourages the integration of stablecoins into traditional finance, promoting efficiency and wider adoption in financial markets.