The stablecoin news out of Washington this week goes beyond reserves and redemptions — FinCEN, the Treasury’s financial crimes unit, has proposed rules that would fundamentally reform how stablecoin issuers and all US financial institutions handle anti-money laundering compliance, shifting from box-checking paperwork toward risk-based self-policing of illicit transactions.

The stablecoin news most relevant to compliance teams this week is not from the FDIC or OCC. It comes from FinCEN. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network proposed rules on April 7 that would reshape how all US financial institutions — including stablecoin issuers — manage their anti-money laundering programs. The core shift: from measuring compliance by the volume of filings and paperwork to measuring it by demonstrated effectiveness at identifying and stopping illicit finance.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described the intent directly: “Our proposal restores common sense with a focus on keeping bad actors out of the financial system, not burying America’s banks in more red tape.” FDIC Chair Travis Hill, whose agency is a co-proposing regulator, called it “perhaps the most important of the reforms Congress envisioned in the AML Act.”

The GENIUS Act, signed into law in July 2025, classified all permitted payment stablecoin issuers as “financial institutions” under the Bank Secrecy Act. That classification means the FinCEN proposal applies to them with the same force it applies to banks. Stablecoin firms that previously operated under lighter compliance regimes — relying on state money transmitter licenses and minimal internal monitoring — must now build programs that meet bank-level AML standards.

This is not a future requirement. The GENIUS Act’s implementing regulations must be finalized by July 18, 2026. Any stablecoin issuer operating after that date without a compliant program faces potential enforcement actions covering civil penalties, criminal prosecution, and license revocation.

The Four Pillars FinCEN Now Requires

Under the proposed framework, every covered financial institution — including stablecoin issuers — must build their AML program around four core components. First: internal policies, procedures, and controls, including a documented risk assessment process that identifies the specific illicit finance threats the issuer faces based on its customers, products, and geography. Second: a BSA compliance officer physically located in the United States with supervisory authority over the program. Third: ongoing employee training tailored to the institution’s actual risk profile. Fourth: independent testing by an outside party that evaluates whether the program has been effectively implemented — with explicit language prohibiting auditors from substituting their own judgment for the institution’s risk-based determinations.

The proposal also limits when enforcement is appropriate. FinCEN stated it would generally not initiate significant supervisory action unless an institution had “a significant or systemic failure” to maintain its program — a standard intended to protect well-run programs from technical violations that pose no real illicit finance risk.

As crypto.news reported, the FDIC simultaneously proposed its own 191-page stablecoin rule covering reserves and redemption standards. As crypto.news noted, the GENIUS Act’s enforcement framework spans the Treasury, Federal Reserve, OCC, and FDIC — with FinCEN and OFAC playing central roles in sanctions and AML oversight. The FinCEN proposal fills the compliance design gap the statute left open.

Comments on the proposed rule are due 60 days after Federal Register publication, before the July 18 regulatory deadline.

TLDR

• Ripple recently minted 9.9 million RLUSD tokens on the Ethereum blockchain.
• The minting follows a series of large RLUSD token burns conducted by Ripple.
• The newly minted RLUSD tokens are backed 1:1 by USD cash and equivalents.
• Ripple’s strategy of minting and burning tokens helps balance RLUSD supply and demand.
• The recent minting expands RLUSD’s availability for trading and use on the Ethereum network.

Ripple has recently minted 9.9 million RLUSD tokens on the Ethereum blockchain. This follows weeks of RLUSD burns and comes as part of Ripple’s ongoing supply management. The minting process is initiated when there is demand for more RLUSD from exchanges, institutions, or retail users.

New RLUSD Minting Follows Burn Process

The official Ripple USD (RLUSD) Treasury account added 9.9 million RLUSD tokens to the Ethereum blockchain. This action comes after a series of significant burns in March and April, where Ripple removed over $230 million in RLUSD tokens from circulation. These token burns were part of Ripple’s strategy to balance the supply of RLUSD between the XRP Ledger and Ethereum.

“Minting occurs when there is demand for RLUSD, and the issuer, the Ripple Treasury smart contract, creates new tokens,” Ripple explained. These new tokens are backed 1:1 by USD cash and equivalents, held in regulated custody accounts. As such, the minted tokens are fully supported by traditional assets, ensuring their value.

With this minting, the total RLUSD supply increases, and the tokens are now available for use and trading. Ripple’s approach of minting and burning tokens is designed to keep the supply of RLUSD in line with market demand. The goal is to maintain the stablecoin’s value and ensure liquidity within Ripple’s ecosystem.

Ripple Strengthens RLUSD Presence in the Crypto Market

Ripple’s RLUSD continues to strengthen its position in the crypto market with increased demand. The recent minting adds to the ongoing expansion of RLUSD, a stablecoin designed to facilitate cross-border payments. According to a recent report, Bitrue exchange now supports trading RLUSD against tokenized gold options like PAXG and XAUT.

The stablecoin’s reserves are valued at $1.56 billion, surpassing the market supply of $1.49 billion tokens. This highlights Ripple’s ongoing growth in the stablecoin sector. Binance has also integrated RLUSD on the XRP Ledger, allowing users to transact RLUSD directly on the network.

Ripple launched RLUSD on December 17, 2024, with the aim of providing liquidity and improving cross-border payments. With multiple exchange integrations and strong backing, RLUSD is becoming more embedded in the broader crypto ecosystem.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation proposed new rules on Tuesday to oversee stablecoins issued through the banking system under the GENIUS Act. The FDIC board of directors voted to advance the proposal, which sets parameters for how stablecoins may be issued and managed by regulated depository institutions.

The proposal represents the FDIC’s formal regulatory framework for stablecoin operations within the traditional banking sector. Details on specific requirements and implementation timelines were included in the Tuesday statement.

Sources: FDIC

This article was generated automatically by The Defiant’s AI news system from publicly available sources.

Polymarket has acquired Brahma, a DeFi infrastructure provider, to strengthen its platform’s trading performance and underlying infrastructure. The acquisition was announced on April 8, 2026, and aims to bolster Polymarket’s capabilities in the decentralized finance ecosystem.

Brahma’s integration into Polymarket is expected to enhance the prediction market platform’s technical infrastructure and user experience. The deal represents continued consolidation in the DeFi sector as platforms seek to improve their competitive positioning.

Source: Polymarket

This article was generated automatically by The Defiant’s AI news system from publicly available sources.

Iran will collect crypto payments as transit fees from oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz during the two‑week ceasefire with the U.S., an industry official told FT.

Hamid Hosseini, spokesperson for Iran’s Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Products Exporters’ Union, said that crypto-denominated tolls will be charged for fully loaded vessels as the nation seeks to “monitor what goes in and out of the strait to ensure these two weeks aren’t used for transferring weapons.”

Hosseini’s comments signal Tehran’s willingness to use cryptocurrency for toll payments, highlighting the expanding real‑world use cases of digital assets in high-stakes geopolitical developments.

This isn’t new — nations at odds with the U.S. or its allies have long turned to crypto as a way to bypass traditional banking channels that leave a paper trail. Russia has indeed used cryptocurrency as part of broader efforts to evade Western sanctions, and in Iran’s case, Tehran is exploring digital payments as it looks to unlock funds for rebuilding the war-destroyed infrastructure.

The proposed framework will require tankers to notify cargo details to Iranian authorities via email, and the toll will reportedly be calculated at $1 per barrel of oil. Authorities will then instruct on how to settle the fee in digital assets, with officials citing bitcoin as a potential payment method.

Hosseini suggested that empty tankers would transit without charge, but fully laden vessels must comply with the reporting and crypto payment process before being cleared for passage.

“Once the email arrives and Iran completes its assessment, vessels are given a few seconds to pay in Bitcoin, ensuring they can’t be traced or confiscated due to sanctions,” he said.

The comments also indicated Tehran may direct traffic along the northern route of the Strait close to its coastline, a move that could raise questions about whether Western and Gulf‑linked shipping firms are prepared to navigate the risky Iranian waters.

The White House Council of Economic Advisers released a study Wednesday examining stablecoin yield and its impact on deposit flight and bank lending. The report finds that eliminating stablecoin yield would increase bank lending by just 0.02%—approximately $2.1 billion—while resulting in a net welfare loss to consumers. The findings directly contradict concerns from some Senate Banking lawmakers who had pressed the White House to release the report.

The report concludes that deposit flight concerns related to stablecoin yield are “quantitatively small,” noting that most stablecoin reserves remain within the banking system with only a limited share removed from lending activity. The executive summary states: “a yield prohibition would do very little to protect bank lending, while forgoing the consumer benefits of competitive returns on stablecoin holdings.”

Sources: White House

This article was generated automatically by The Defiant’s AI news system from publicly available sources.