OCC Finalizes GENIUS Act Stablecoin Rules, Leaves Rewards Fight Open

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency finalized its rules implementing the GENIUS Act for stablecoin issuers, with the framework taking effect in January 2027. The rules ease reserve limits on issuers but leave unresolved the contentious question of whether third-party platforms can offer rewards on stablecoin holdings. Traders care because clearer federal stablecoin rules could draw institutional capital into dollar tokens, while the open rewards question keeps a key competitive and yield dynamic uncertain.