Representative French Hill, who Chairs the House Committee on Financial Services, rejected requests to approve interest-bearing stablecoins. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong made a public appeal in support of this yesterday.
Hill has been a vocal supporter of new stablecoin regulations, and the crypto industry counted his Committee appointment as a victory.
French Hill Rejects Interest-Bearing Stablecoins
If there’s one topic that’s a top priority for US crypto policy, it’d be stablecoin regulations. Significant momentum is building behind pro-industry regulations, and President Trump claimed that stablecoins will play a role in dollar dominance. However, Representative French Hill pushed back on one request, saying he opposes interest-bearing stablecoins:
“I hear the point of view, but I don’t think that there’s consensus among the parties or the Houses [of Congress] on having a dollar-backed payment stablecoin pay interest to the holder of that stablecoin,” Hill told reporters earlier today.
Although Hill portrayed this position on stablecoins as a common-sense viewpoint, it represents a limit to the crypto industry’s political influence. When Hill was chosen to head the House Committee on Financial Services, crypto took it as a big win. Further, he’s been a visible presence in the fight for stablecoin regulation. So, what’s the problem?
Essentially, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong made an appeal to Hill and other legislators regarding interest-bearing stablecoins. Just yesterday, Armstrong called this policy a “win-win” and a huge opportunity to help consumers and the economy.
“US stablecoin legislation should allow consumers to earn interest on stablecoins. The government shouldn’t put it’s thumb on the scale to benefit one industry over another. Banks and crypto companies alike should both be allowed to, and incentivized to, share interest with consumers. This is consistent with a free market approach,” Armstrong claimed.
Since Armstrong made this public appeal yesterday, it’s remarkable that Hill rejected his vision of stablecoins so quickly. Ostensibly, Armstrong’s political influence has been on the rise, as he played a prominent role in Trump’s Crypto Summit, and the SEC dropped its suit against Coinbase.
It’s an important fact for the US crypto industry to learn: no matter how quickly its influence is growing, it’s still very new to most people. Earlier this year, a string of state-level Bitcoin Reserve proposals failed in Republican-controlled states. President Trump may support crypto, but his supporters have limits.
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