BlockBeats News, February 8th, encrypted journalist Eleanor Terrett revealed details of the White House cryptocurrency meeting next Tuesday. This meeting is the second round of a series of meetings, still at the staff level, without inviting CEOs of various companies, but senior policy officials from various banks will attend. Insiders revealed that some large banks, including Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, and Wells Fargo, have been invited, and PNC Bank, Citigroup, and US Bancorp may also be included. Banking industry representatives include the Bank Policy Institute, the American Bankers Association, and the Independent Community Bankers of America, but it is expected that the number of representatives sent by each party will decrease.
The current situation is that banks hope to restrict cryptocurrency companies from offering stablecoin interest, believing that this will threaten their own business. They are concerned that a large amount of funds flowing into high-yield cryptocurrency accounts will cause a shortage of bank loan funds and trigger broader financial turmoil. Cryptocurrency companies, on the other hand, believe that banks' actions are aimed at disrupting the market competitive environment, maintaining their regulatory barriers, and hindering innovation. Treasury Secretary Scott Benner seemed to acknowledge the banks' concerns to some extent, stating this Thursday: "I have always been an advocate for these small banks, and deposit fluctuation is very undesirable. We will continue to work to ensure that stablecoin interest payments will not cause deposit fluctuations."
This meeting is related to the future of the Cryptocurrency Market Structure Act (CLARITY Act). The current stablecoin interest rate issue has become a focus of the White House's attention, with its importance even exceeding other controversial points such as ethics or decentralized finance. Patrick Witt, Executive Director of the White House Cryptocurrency Committee, urged all parties to reach an agreement by the end of this month.
