Stablecoin Regulation: FDIC Announces New Proposed AML Rules For Issuers

As crypto regulations continue to take shape in the US, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to extend Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and economic sanctions compliance standards to FDIC-supervised Permitted Payment Stablecoin Issuers (PPSIs). The move aims to bring digital asset issuers further within the compliance architecture that has long governed traditional banking.

Major Highlights Of New FDIC Proposed Framework

According to a press release on Friday, the proposed rule by the FDIC mainly mandates PPSIs to comply with applicable Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) program requirements, economic sanctions programs, and reporting obligations, including those issued by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). 

This latest rulemaking follows an earlier FDIC proposal from April 2026, which established prudential standards for PPSIs covering reserve assets, redemption, capital, and risk management. Under the new parallel FinCEN-OFAC proposed rule, PPSIs would formally be classified as financial institutions under the BSA, requiring them to adopt full AML programs and OFAC-aligned sanctions compliance structures, including internal controls, a designated compliance officer, staff training, independent testing, customer identification, suspicious activity reporting, and on-chain transaction screening capabilities. 

In terms of supervision and enforcement, the proposed rule would require the FDIC to notify the FinCEN director at least 30 days before initiating any formal enforcement action or significant supervisory determination related to a PPSI’s AML/CFT program. However, the FDIC signals that PPSIs with demonstrably effective AML/CFT programs would be shielded from enforcement action in most circumstances, except where there is a “significant or systemic failure” to implement required programs. 

For context, PPSI refers to all entities authorized under the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins Act (GENIUS Act) to issue payment stablecoins as subsidiaries of insured State nonmember banks and State savings associations.

Looking Ahead 

The public comment period on this proposed rule is expected to last until June 9, 2026, which would mark 60 days after its publication in the Federal Register. The final rule will be announced later in 2026, along with implementation details and deadlines. The FDIC estimates that between five and 30 FDIC-supervised PPSIs could seek approval in the first few years following enactment, and that most would leverage existing AML infrastructure from their parent institutions, keeping incremental compliance costs modest.