Regulators Fear Full‑Reserve Stablecoins

Updated: 2025.10.16 5D ago 2 sources
Cowen notes officials say they’re unsure they can regulate 100%‑reserve stablecoins into safety, yet claim the fractional‑reserve banking system is well managed. The inconsistency suggests incumbency bias: comfort with legacy risks but suspicion toward structurally safer crypto instruments. Expect this frame to recur as stablecoin legislation and rulemaking advance. — This double standard shapes how digital money will be governed and signals whether regulation protects incumbents or actual safety.

Sources

Paxos Mistakenly Issues $300 Trillion of PayPal Stablecoin, Exceeding Global Currency Supply
msmash 2025.10.16 46% relevant
The incident underscores that even 'fully reserved' stablecoins are operationally centralized: issuers can mint/burn vast sums instantly. That practical control is the kind of risk regulators cite when expressing skepticism about regulating stablecoins into safety.
What the financial regulators are saying and feeling
Tyler Cowen 2025.09.07 100% relevant
The paired quotes: 'we’re not sure we can regulate [100%‑reserve stablecoins] into safety' versus 'the rest of the system has nothing like 100% reserves, but… we have everything there under control.'
← Back to All Ideas