Regulation
President Biden Vetoes Cryptocurrency Custody Bill
By: Anthony Ha (TechCrunch)
President Joe Biden vetoed HJRes. 109, a congressional resolution aimed at overturning the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) current position on banks and cryptocurrencies.
The resolution specifically challenged the SEC’s Staff Accounting Bulletin 121 (SAB 121), which guides how banks should manage customers’ crypto assets, requiring them to treat these assets as liabilities. Banking groups have criticized this guidance as making it too expensive for them to manage cryptocurrencies, while regulators argue it is crucial for investor protection, especially after the collapse of major cryptocurrency firms like FTX.
“SAB 121 reflects the technical views of the SEC staff regarding the accounting obligations of certain firms that safeguard crypto-assets,” Biden said in a statement. “By virtue of relying on the Congressional Review Act, this Republican-led resolution would inappropriately limit the SEC’s ability to establish appropriate barriers and address future issues…”