As Crypto Talks Heat Up Again, Can Congress Cut a Deal?

Senate negotiators have started talking again on a crypto market structure bill after a breakdown in discussions earlier this year. Does the bill have momentum? Brendan Pedersen, the financial services reporter for Punchbowl News, breaks down the latest around the legislation, what it means for banks, and whether bank efforts to close loopholes around stablecoins paying interest have a chance of passage. 

As the government shutdown drags on, the Treasury Department fired the entire staff of the CDFI Fund, a program with substantial bipartisan support. Dennis Ammann, CEO of People's Bank, a CDFI in Mississippi, and Jeannine Jacokes, CEO of the Community Development Bankers Association, discuss the impact on CDFIs nationwide and why it has alarmed lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. 

Aaron Klein, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, explains how the Supreme Court is likely to react to President Trump's efforts to fire Fed Gov. Lisa Cook, and what it means for the central bank's future as well as monetary policy. Klein also details how crypto is fighting banks' attempt to prevent stablecoins from paying interest or rewards.

More than two dozen bills dedicated to Making Community Banks Great Again have passed House Financial Services Committee. Panel Chair French Hill handicaps which will have the most impact and what is most likely to be enacted. He also discusses the latest on the crypto market structure bill, how regulators can help banks in the fight against fraud, where the payments sector will be in five years, why he wants to end the Fed's dual mandate, the prospects for housing legislation and unfinished business after the fall of SVB in 2023.

Nathan McCauley, Cofounder and CEO of Anchorage Digital, discusses how his institution obtained the first OCC digital trust charter five years ago, how it has changed his business, and why other crypto firms are rushing to apply for the same charter now. He also discusses stablecoins vs. crypto, and the changing attitudes around debanking.

Alex Johnson, founder and publisher of FinTech Takes, sorts through what happens now that Congress has passed a new law to regulate stablecoins. Will stablecoins take over finance, and if so, are they a bigger threat to banks or money market mutual funds? What are the use cases for stablecoins vs. tokenized deposits? Can big banks beat stablecoin issuers at their own game?   

Victoria Guida, economics correspondent and columnist for Politico, talks about President Trump's reported decision – and then quick reversal – of a move last week to oust Jerome Powell as chairman of the Federal Reserve Board. She goes behind the scenes on what the president is telling allies, how GOP lawmakers view the situation, and why firing Powell might not solve Trump's central concerns.

Crypto firms often pitch themselves as an alternative to and the future of traditional finance. So why are firms like Ripple, Circle, Wise and Erebor attempting to charter banks? Penny Crosman, executive editor for technology at American Banker, talks about what's going on, how regulators will view these applications, and whether banks plan to fight back. 

Todd Phillips, assistant professor at Georgia State University's Robinson College of Business, discusses the latest attempt to merge bank regulatory agencies and what that means for efforts in this area. He also discusses reported discussions by Walmart and Amazon to start stablecoins, and the potential impact on banks.

Tom Halpin, the regional head of North America Global Payment Solutions for HSBC, talks about how AI and new technologies are changing domestic and global payments—and what that means both for his bank and the industry. He also tackles where AI can help (or hurt), the status of the FedNow roll out, and concerns around CBDCs and stablecoins.