ByAUJay
Regulation-Aware Stablecoin Dev: Building With MiCA/UK/US Constraints in Mind
Startups and big companies alike can get their stablecoin products out the door quicker--and dodge those expensive rewrites--by integrating regulatory rules right from the start. This playbook breaks down the latest EU MiCA, UK FCA/BoE, and US federal/state requirements into clear technical and operational design patterns, complete with examples and handy checklists.
Why “regulation-aware” matters in 2026 roadmaps
- EU: The MiCA Titles III-IV (ART/EMT) have been in effect since June 30, 2024, while the rest of the CASP regime kicked in on December 30, 2024. So, if you're a stablecoin issuer, you've got to be operating to these deadlines. Check it out here: eur-lex.europa.eu.
- UK: The FCA is currently mulling over its regime for “qualifying” fiat-backed stablecoins. Meanwhile, the Bank of England is aiming for a 2026 launch with its proposed systemic regime. This approach would require a 40/60 split between unremunerated BoE deposits and short-term UK gilts, along with some temporary cap on holdings. If GBP payments are in the mix, it might be worth starting your design now. More details here: fca.org.uk.
- US: The GENIUS Act officially became law on July 18, 2025, establishing a federal licensing-and-reserves framework for payment stablecoins, along with ongoing BSA/AML requirements. Make sure to design your architecture based on the federal baseline first, then layer in any state-specific details where needed. For the full scoop, head over to reuters.com.
What comes next is a breakdown of what each jurisdiction literally demands, followed by how those requirements are translated into actual practices. This includes mapping the rules onto code, data, operations, and treasury processes.
EU (MiCA) stablecoins: what you must implement
MiCA breaks down stablecoins into two main types:
- EMTs (which are tied to a single currency and function like payment instruments)
- ARTs (linked to a basket of assets, commodities, or crypto). (dechert.com)
Key Obligations That Drive Your Design:
When diving into design, there are a few crucial obligations you need to keep in mind. These aren't just guidelines; they help shape your work and ensure you're meeting both user needs and industry standards.
1. User-Centered Focus
Your design should always put users front and center. Understanding their needs, preferences, and pain points is essential. Pay attention to feedback and be ready to iterate based on what you learn.
2. Accessibility Standards
Making your design accessible to everyone is a must. This means considering various abilities and backgrounds. Familiarize yourself with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to ensure your work is inclusive.
3. Brand Alignment
Your design should reflect the essence of the brand it represents. Keep the brand’s voice, values, and visual identity in mind to create a cohesive experience. Check out Branding Basics for tips on maintaining that consistency.
4. Consistency and Usability
Maintain a consistent look and feel throughout your design. This not only helps with usability but also builds trust with your audience. References like the Material Design Guidelines can be super helpful in keeping things uniform.
5. Technical Feasibility
Always consider the technical side of things. Collaborate with developers early on to ensure your designs can be implemented effectively. It’s better to tweak design ideas than to have to redo them later.
6. Sustainability Concerns
More than ever, people are looking towards eco-friendly solutions. Think about how your design choices impact the environment and aim for sustainable practices whenever you can.
7. Legal and Ethical Considerations
Keep copyright laws and ethical standards in mind. Properly attribute sources and ensure your work respects intellectual property rights. A great resource is the Copyright Office for guidance.
8. Staying Current
Design trends can shift rapidly, so keep your eyes peeled for the latest styles and innovations. Following design blogs, attending workshops, and participating in online communities can help you stay ahead of the curve.
Conclusion
Keeping these obligations in mind while you design can lead to more thoughtful, effective, and responsible outcomes. Make sure to reference these points regularly to guide your creative process. Your work will not only stand out but also serve the needs of users and clients alike!
1) Authorization and Timing
- So, here’s the deal: only EU credit institutions or authorized Electronic Money Institutions can issue EMTs. If you're looking to dive into crypto assets, you’ll need a white paper and you’ve got to give a heads-up to the NCA. For ART issuers, it’s not just about the heads-up; you’ll also need authorization and a detailed white paper. Keep in mind, these rules kick in on June 30, 2024. (dechert.com)
- No interest on EMTs (or ARTs) to steer clear of “store of value” incentives
- Any perks associated with how long you hold onto them count as interest (this includes things like discounts and net comps). So, let’s not include any “yield” features on EMTs. (europarl.europa.eu)
3) Redemption Rights and Fees
- EMT holders can claim their rights and need to be able to redeem their investments at face value in the official currency mentioned. Keep in mind that redemption fees are limited. Also, the product flows have to accommodate redemptions whenever they're requested. (micapapers.com)
4) Reserve Composition and Liquidity
- The EBA’s final draft RTS outlines daily and weekly maturity buckets, minimum deposit requirements for each currency, counterpart diversification, and expectations for managing liquidity in reserves. It’s essential to create a treasury policy and a reporting framework that keeps these ratios and counterpart limits in check. You can check out more details here.
5) “Means of exchange” usage caps for ARTs and non-EU-currency EMTs
- So, here's the deal: if the average daily transactions in a single currency area hit BOTH 1,000,000 transactions and a whopping €200,000,000 over a quarter, the issuer has to hit the brakes on issuance. They'll need to come up with a plan within 40 working days to get the usage back under those limits. Keep in mind, it's essential to have a system in place to monitor usage and manage it; this isn’t just a nice-to-have. (europarl.europa.eu)
6) EU Travel Rule Start
So, here’s the deal: CASPs need to be on board by December 30, 2024. The EBA has laid out some guidelines to help spot any missing info about the originator or beneficiary. They’re giving a little wiggle room until July 31, 2025, but you’ll need to have some compensating controls in place. It’s a good idea to start integrating your message exchange now. Check out the details here.
7) Market Proof Points
- Circle scored an EMI license in France and kicked off the issuance of USDC/EURC under MiCA starting July 1, 2024. This is super handy for assessing vendors and understanding passporting expectations. You can check out more about it on CNBC.
Design Implication
MiCA EMTs serve as payment rails rather than yield products. Your system needs to keep validating reserve buckets all the time, adjust issuance and usage for tokens that aren’t in Euros, and implement Travel-Rule-compliant messaging that aligns with the EU's zero-threshold standards.
UK: building for an FCA “qualifying stablecoin” → BoE “systemic” step‑up
The UK is shaking things up by dividing oversight responsibilities: the FCA will handle non-systemic fiat-backed stablecoin issuance and custody, while the BoE takes charge of systems categorized as systemic by HM Treasury. Make sure to map out your “two-lane” architecture so you can level up without having to replatform. (skadden.com)
What the Proposals Require You to Make Real:
- Understanding the Vision
You need to really get the big picture here. Each proposal is built on a vision of what we’re aiming for. Take some time to dive into the details and grasp the overall goal. - Collaboration
This isn't a solo gig. You're going to need to team up with others. Whether it’s brainstorming ideas or tackling challenges, working together is key. - Resources
Make sure you have the right resources at your fingertips. This could mean budget, tools, or even just information. Knowing what you have and what you’ll need is crucial. - Timeline
Stay on top of the timeline. Deadlines can sneak up on you, so keep that calendar handy. Plan ahead to avoid unnecessary stress down the line. - Feedback Loop
Open yourself up to feedback. It’s important to get insights from others, so don’t be shy about asking for input or sharing your thoughts. - Flexibility
Be ready to adapt. Plans may change, and that’s okay. Keeping an open mind will help you navigate any bumps along the way. - Documentation
Keep track of everything. Document your process, decisions, and changes along the way. This will help everyone stay on the same page and make things more manageable. - Evaluation
After implementation, take a step back to evaluate the results. What worked? What didn’t? This reflection will help you refine everything for next time.
By following these steps, you’ll be well on your way to transforming the proposals into something real and impactful.
- For the split reserve on systemic GBP coins, make sure at least 40% is kept as unremunerated deposits at the Bank of England, with the remaining 60% in short-term sterling gilts. When launching, you might be allowed a temporary bump up to 95% in gilts for viability, and then gradually reduce that back to 60%. It's also a good idea to create a policy engine to enforce these portfolio limits for each regime. (bankofengland.co.uk)
- As for temporary holding caps, the proposal suggests a limit of £20,000 per person per coin and £10,000,000 per business, with some exceptions for bigger businesses. Just keep in mind to show these caps in wallet user experiences and treasury risk monitors. (bankofengland.co.uk)
- When it comes to supervision, the FCA will take care of conduct and consumer protection. Meanwhile, the Bank of England will handle prudential matters for systemic issuers. There's a joint transition document expected in 2026, so make sure to design your interfaces to deliver both conduct data and prudential metrics through the same telemetry pipeline. (bankofengland.co.uk)
- In the near future, the FCA has already consulted on guidelines for issuing, safeguarding, and custody (CP25/14). Get ready for new rules regarding disclosures, custody segregation, and operational resilience--make sure to integrate these into your custody key management and incident playbooks. (fca.org.uk)
- Lastly, the UK Travel Rule has been in effect since September 1, 2023. So, it's a good time to align your messaging and set up your “delay/block” logic for any missing data. (fca.org.uk)
Design Implication
When it comes to the UK’s systemic rules, think of your treasury as an extension of the central bank's money plumbing. You’ll want to code for hard portfolio constraints, user holding caps, and set up those BoE-grade liquidity dashboards right from the get-go--even if you're kicking things off under FCA regulations.
US: GENIUS Act, FinCEN, and NYDFS--what to encode
1) Federal Floor: GENIUS Act (Public Law 119‑27)
- This act sets up a national licensing system for payment stablecoin issuers. It lays out what reserve assets are allowed (think USD, short-dated Treasuries, and certain repos/MMFs), requires a 1:1 reserve ratio, and mandates that issuers make monthly public disclosures about their reserve makeup. Plus, there's an executive certification requirement and BSA/AML rules to follow. Make sure to use this as your baseline for any US operations. (congress.gov)
- The law was signed on July 18, 2025, and it passed with bipartisan support. The Treasury has pointed out that this law could boost demand for Treasury bills and help bring dollar operations back onshore--so get ready for some closer looks at those reserve disclosures. (reuters.com)
OCC Stance (Banks in the Loop)
- Starting March 7, 2025, OCC IL 1183 will officially rescind the old “non-objection” process from IL 1179. This means that banks supervised by the OCC can now hold crypto, manage stablecoin reserves, and use distributed ledger technology (DLT) along with stablecoins for payments, as long as they keep risk management in check. This shift really opens the door for banks to partner up without the hassle of getting pre-clearance first. You can check out the details over at occ.gov.
3) FinCEN Travel Rule + MSB Perimeter
- The Travel Rule still sits at a $3,000 threshold for transmittals. If you're in the game of sending or receiving money, you need to provide the originator and beneficiary details, plus keep your BSA program controls tight if you're classified as an MSB. Make sure you’ve got some rules set up to trigger data exchanges and consider putting a "hold for review" option for anything below the chain settlement. Check out the details here.
- According to FinCEN’s guidance from 2019, most admins and exchangers are treated as money transmitters (MSBs) unless they specifically fall into an exempt category. So, if you’re interacting with customers off-chain, you’re probably going to find yourself right in the middle of BSA regulations. You can read more about this here.
4) NYDFS (practical, prescriptive baseline even post‑federal law)
- Redemption: Aim for a T+2 “timely” redemption, and make sure you’re crystal clear on what “redemption” actually means. You’ll want to set up your finance operations to meet this service level agreement (SLA). Check out the details here.
- Reserve composition: Keep things separate for the benefit of your holders. The assets you’re allowed to hold are pretty specific: T-bills with a maturity of 3 months or less, overnight reverse repos backed by U.S. Treasury collateral (make sure those counterparties are DFS-approved and overcollateralized), government money market funds (but there’s a cap), and insured bank deposits (with counterparty limits). So, equip your treasury adapters to only deal with these types of instruments and stay within those per-counterparty restrictions. More info can be found here.
- Attestations: You’ll need monthly CPA attestations and annual control checks, with public reporting done within 30 days after the end of each period. Think about automating your data rooms and attestation processes to keep everything running smoothly. You can get more details here.
Design Implication
Think of GENIUS as your baseline. From there, you can add NYDFS-grade redemption SLAs, reserve whitelists, and attestations as your “production hardening.” Even if you’re not operating in New York, it's clear that the market now expects this level of standard.
System architecture that passes audits (and scales)
Here’s how teams from product, engineering, treasury, risk, and legal can turn the rules into a practical blueprint that’s ready to build on.
A. Smart-contract controls (issuer side)
- Standard: ERC‑20‑compatible token with regulated‑issuer extensions:
- We've got a role-gated mint/burn setup, complete with multi-signature and time-lock features, plus an audited upgrade proxy.
- There's a freeze/blacklist function that's powered by a legal-order workflow (think case intake → counsel sign-off → multi-sig execute). This way, we can keep authority revocable and visible on-chain to boost transparency.
- We also offer an optional “allowlist-only” transfer mode, perfect for pilot phases or specific geographic restrictions.
- In case of emergency, there’s a circuit-breaker in place: a time-limited global pause that works to minimize misuse risks, and we’ll publish on-chain “reason codes” for clarity.
- Jurisdiction toggles:
- EU EMT mode: We'll turn off any interest or loyalty accrual code paths to stay compliant with Article 50; plus, we're adding a redemption() endpoint that links up with KYC’d off-ramps. (europarl.europa.eu)
- UK systemic candidate mode: Here, we’ll enforce a per-wallet holding cap with an exemptions list, and we’ll make on-chain cap metadata visible for a better user experience. (bankofengland.co.uk)
- US mode: We’ll make sure that the burn/mint paths can reflect monthly reserve disclosures (using block snapshots) to help with certification tie-outs.
Implementation Tip
One great approach is to keep your compliance state off-chain but verify it on-chain using Merkle proofs (think wallet eligibility or timestamp for sanctions screening). This strategy helps you save on gas costs while still making sure everything is auditable.
B. Treasury engine (policy-driven reserves)
- Policy DSL that compiles to executable constraints:
- MiCA/EBA bucketization: We’re looking at some specific requirements here, like a minimum proportion maturing within 1-5 working days, certain minimum deposits for each referenced currency, caps on counterparty concentration, and overcollateralization where it's needed. If a trade tries to cross any of these limits, our engine will reject it. You can explore more details here.
- UK BoE systemic profile: We have a few key points: at least 40% should be unremunerated BoE deposits, and 60% or less should be in short-term gilts. There’s also a temporary 95% gilts step-up in place, along with rebalancing playbooks for those big redemption days. For more information, check out this link: here.
- US GENIUS + NYDFS: This is all about keeping things tight with permitted assets, so we’re talking about USD, short T-Bills, specific repos/MMFs, and insured deposits. The DFS whitelist brings in some caps on maturity and counterparty limits too. If anything falls outside of those permitted asset classes, it gets a hard fail. You can read more here.
- Intraday liquidity telemetry:
- We're keeping a close eye on the live delta between outstanding supply and T+0/T+1/T+2 monetizable cash.
- Plus, we’ve got a stress ladder in place (think 10%, 25%, 40% same-day redemption) that’s all set up with monetization routes for various scenarios.
- Disclosure automation:
- We’re automating our monthly reserve composition tables, along with a workflow for CEO/CFO certification (thanks to the GENIUS Act). Everything will be publicly posted within policy timeframes, and we’re also providing an API for market data vendors. You can dive deeper into this here.
C. Redemption, onboarding, and Travel Rule wiring
- Redemption SLA controller:
- This cool feature routes requests through banking rails to ensure we stick to the NYDFS T+2 timeline. It’ll give you alerts if any cut-offs look like they might throw things off track, plus it keeps evidentiary logs for those all-important “compliant order received” timestamps. (dfs.ny.gov)
- Travel Rule bus:
- EU: Here, we’ve got zero-threshold messaging for all the CASPs. We’ve built in some error-handling to spot and resolve any missing originator or beneficiary information. Just a heads up: compensating controls are only allowed until July 31, 2025. (eba.europa.eu)
- UK: As of September 1, 2023, it's time to get serious about compliance. If your counterparty VASP isn’t up to speed, make sure you collect, verify, and store the info, plus evaluate the risks before you hit send. (fca.org.uk)
- US: Here, we’re looking at triggering data exchange for any transactions over $3,000 (thanks, FinCEN). You’ll also want to keep those audit trails nice and tidy for your BSA/AML program. (fincen.gov)
- “Means of exchange” classifier (EU caps):
- This handy tool helps distinguish between payment-like transfers within a single currency area and moves meant for investment or internal treasury purposes. It counts towards the 1M/€200M thresholds for ARTs and non-EU EMTs. If you’re getting close to those caps, it’ll auto-throttle issuance and whip up templates for your regulator plans. (europarl.europa.eu)
D. Compliance data model (what to store)
- Entities: We’ve got a few key players here: customer, wallet, VASP counterparty, jurisdiction, product (you know, either EMT or ART), legal order, reserve position, and those requests for issuance or redemption.
- Events (append-only): Here’s what we track in terms of events: onboarding KYC pass, the results of sanction screens along with the version of the list, packets for the Travel Rule that are sent or received, timestamps for redemption initiation and settlement, reserve trades, checksums for attestation datasets, and any on-chain admin actions.
- Derived metrics: Finally, we look at some derived metrics like MiCA liquidity buckets, exposures based on holding caps in the UK, percentages of US reserve eligibility broken down by asset class, and EU “means of exchange” counters sorted by currency area.
Practical patterns and emerging best practices
- Launch dual-rail tokens: one EMT for EU payments and a USD stablecoin for non-EU flows
- Running a non-euro EMT like a USD in the EU can get tricky because of Article 23 usage limits. A lot of issuers design user journeys that nudge EU merchant payments toward EUR EMTs while pushing USD stablecoin usage for cross-border settlements or off-exchange transactions. Keep an eye on those caps with near-real-time analytics. (europarl.europa.eu)
2) “Two-lane UK” from day zero
- Kick things off with FCA issuance and custody compliance. Before diving into the details, make sure to prep the BoE prudential telemetry, focusing on the split between gilts and BoE deposits, along with some redemption drills. When it comes time to switch on the systemic mode, it’ll just be a simple configuration tweak instead of a complete overhaul. You can find more info here.
3) Treat NYDFS Guidance as Your Operational SLO, Even If You're Not in NY
- Make T+2 redemption and monthly AICPA attestations your standard practice. More and more investors and counterparties are counting on these disclosures and service level agreements. Check out the guidance here.
4) Automate Reserve Disclosures and Executive Certifications
The GENIUS Act now mandates that monthly disclosures and executive certifications are legally required. To streamline this process, you can set up a “disclosure pipeline.” This pipeline will take real-time snapshots of on-chain supply, match them with custodial statements, and generate a signed report featuring XBRL-ready fields for data aggregators. For more details, check out the full text here.
5) Bank Integrations Post-OCC IL 1183
- US banks now have a smoother path to hold stablecoin reserves and jump into DLT payments without needing prior written non-objection. It's a good idea to negotiate standardized control questionnaires that line up with OCC risk domains to help speed up those vendor-risk cycles. Check out more details here.
- Avoid calling “interest” something else in the EU
- Be careful with loyalty points that you earn based on how long you hold an account or fee rebates linked to how long your balance has been there. These practices might run afoul of the EMT/ART interest rules. Instead, focus on time-based benefits that are tied to your activities (like payments) rather than how long you've been a customer. (europarl.europa.eu)
7) Create a Regulator-Ready “Usage Throttle”
- When it comes to EU limits, set up some soft ceilings (send out an alert at 70%) and hard stops (cut it off at 90%) for issuing in single currency areas. Plus, make sure to have pre-approved remediation plans ready to go within 40 working days if you ever cross those thresholds. You can check out more details on this here.
8) Travel-Rule Resilience
With the EU's zero-threshold and the UK's enforcement, your system needs to be ready for different messaging channels (like TRP, IVMS-101 variants, and custom APIs). It’s important to make sure it can gracefully manage situations by holding funds until the identity details come through--within your risk-based time limits. Check out more about it here.
Worked examples
Example 1: MiCA‑first EMT launch (EUR) with USD rails outside the EU
- Entity setup: Get that EMI authorization sorted; publish the EMT white paper, and let the NCA know what's up.
- Smart contract: Implement the EMT mode complete with a redemption hook; make sure there’s no code for interest accrual; keep admin functions aligned with the EU legal order workflow. (europarl.europa.eu)
- Treasury: Set up reserve buckets that match the EBA RTS (think daily/weekly maturity tranches; deposits in the reference currency; and counterparty limits). The engine should block any orders that clash with the RTS template. (eba.europa.eu)
- Travel Rule: Ensure zero-threshold compliance across all EU CASPs; use compensating controls only until July 31, 2025 where it’s technically unavoidable (make sure it’s documented). (eba.europa.eu)
- Multi-token strategy: Guide EU merchant payments to EUR EMT; model “means of exchange” exposure for any USD flows in the euro area to steer clear of those Article 23 caps. (europarl.europa.eu)
- Benchmark: Circle’s upcoming issuance on July 1, 2024, which is compliant with MiCA via France (ACPR EMI), is a solid example of the operational path and passporting model. (cnbc.com)
Example 2: UK GBP stablecoin targeting systemic scale by 2026
- Kick things off by following FCA rules for issuance and custody, ensuring you're on top of financial promotions and Travel Rule controls. Don't forget to sync up your conduct metrics--like complaints, disclosures, and cooling-off periods, if they apply--into your data lake. You can check out more about it on fca.org.uk.
- Get your treasury "systemic-ready” by setting a 40/60 deposit/gilt policy flag that you can switch on when HMT recognition hits. Make sure to simulate stress scenarios so you can access cash immediately from those BoE deposits. For more details, see the insights on bankofengland.co.uk.
- When it comes to your wallet layer, enforce per-coin holding caps and keep an exception registry for larger corporates. It's a good idea to make those caps visible in APIs for your integrators. Learn more at bankofengland.co.uk.
- Align your roadmap with the aim for a 2026 regime timing as outlined in the BoE consultation. Be proactive and plan for joint FCA/BoE approach documents to guide your transition. Check out reuters.com for more context.
Example 3: US nationwide launch under GENIUS + NYDFS‑grade ops
- License path: You can either apply as a permitted issuer under GENIUS or team up with an OCC/FDIC-supervised bank to handle your reserves. Don't forget to document the allowed reserve types and set up a monthly disclosure calendar. (congress.gov)
- Reserve policy: Think about rolling out a DFS-style whitelist for your assets. This should include T-bills with a maturity of 3 months or less, overnight Treasury reverse repos, capped government money market funds, and insured deposits. Also, consider setting caps per counterparty; it's simpler to adopt this approach nationwide. (dfs.ny.gov)
- Redemption: Get those T+2 redemption workflows up and running, and make sure to post your policies publicly. It’s super important to define what you mean by “timely” and “compliant order.” (dfs.ny.gov)
- BSA/AML: The Travel Rule kicks in at $3,000. So, integrate sanctions screening and KYC during onboarding and redemption processes, and have SAR escalation playbooks ready to go. (fincen.gov)
- Banks: Thanks to OCC IL 1183, you’ve got more options for reserve depositories or custodians. Make sure to embed standard controls like segregation, reconciliations, and key management attestations to keep your bank’s due diligence happy. (occ.gov)
Build/launch checklists
EU (MiCA)
- Authorization: If you’re an EMI/CI (EMT) or ART issuer, you’ll need to file a white paper and set up reporting feeds for EBA/ESMA. Check out more details here.
- Token: You can’t use interest features, but you’ll need to establish redemption flows, track usage-cap telemetry, and have reverse solicitation policies for those non-EU entities. More info can be found here.
- Treasury: Make sure you’re familiar with the EBA liquidity buckets, minimum deposits in the reference currency, counterparty caps, and don’t forget about stress testing requirements. You can dive deeper here.
- AML: The Travel Rule comes into play starting December 30, 2024, and if there are any technical hiccups, you have until July 31, 2025, to close those gaps. For more details, check this link here.
UK
- AML/Promotions: The UK Travel Rule has been in effect since September 1, 2023, along with the new FCA promotions guidelines for crypto. You can check out the details here.
- Issuance/Custody: We’re aligning with FCA CP25/14, which focuses on custody segregation and making sure our operations are resilient. For more info, head over here.
- Systemic path: There's a plan in place for a 40/60 split between the Bank of England and gilts. We’re looking at a temporary 95% gilts step-up, which includes user holding caps, all aiming for a new regime by 2026. Find out more here.
US
- Federal: You’ll need a license under GENIUS, plus a monthly reserve disclosure with executive certifications, and a BSA program. Check out the details here.
- Banking: Make the most of OCC IL 1183 by using national banks for reserves, custody, and payment participation. More info can be found here.
- State gold standard: You’ll want to roll out NYDFS T+2 redemption, create a reserve whitelist, and get those monthly CPA attestations--just remember to publish within 30 days! Details are available here.
- Travel Rule: There’s a $3,000 trigger here, so don’t forget to instrument messaging and include “hold-and-review” for any missing data. Check out the guidance here.
What to monitor in 2026
- EU: Looks like we’re getting close to finalizing and endorsing the EBA’s RTS on HLFI composition and liquidity. This comes after EBA had some strong opinions about the Commission's amendments back in October 2025. You might want to adjust your reserve whitelist a bit; just make sure those policy flags are still easy to tweak. Check it out here: (eba.europa.eu)
- UK: The Bank of England is kicking off a consultation on their Codes of Practice, and they’ll be teaming up with the FCA on this in 2026. We should get clarity on the final sizes for holding caps and any liquidity facilities from the central bank for systemic issuers. More details here: (bankofengland.co.uk)
- US: Over in the States, the Treasury and agencies are working on rulemakings to put the specifics of the GENIUS Act into action. This includes things like disclosure templates and making sure there's good supervisory coordination. Plus, the OCC’s supervision practices are still ongoing. You can read more about it here: (congress.gov)
Bottom line
A regulation-aware stablecoin stack has its own unique vibe: think tokens that ditch any time-based reward logic in the EU; a treasury that's capable of enforcing different reserve regimes (like EBA buckets, BoE 40/60, and NYDFS whitelists) using code; redemption systems that actually deliver by T+2; and a Travel Rule bus that smoothly navigates EU zero-threshold, UK, and US $3,000 triggers. By embedding these constraints into your policy and infrastructure now, you’ll dodge those expensive rebuilds when audits, authorizations, or systemic designations come knocking. Plus, you’ll be able to scale confidently under MiCA, the UK framework, and the GENIUS-era U.S. regulations.
7Block Labs is here to help teams put these requirements into action--whether it's architecture reviews, treasury policy engines, disclosure automation, or smart-contract controls. With our support, you can make sure you ship once and get it right!
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