OCC finalizes GENIUS Act rule, setting the stablecoin rulebook for 2027

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has finalized its rule implementing the GENIUS Act. That turns the 2025 stablecoin law from a statute into an operating manual. The rule takes effect on January 18, 2027. After that date, operating without approval stops being a paperwork problem and starts carrying criminal penalties. What the OCC actually finalized The GENIUS Act, formally the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act, was enacted on July 18, 2025. The OCC issued its final implementing rule on October 21, 2026. The effective date lands exactly 18 months after the law was signed. Issuers now have just under three months between the final text and the deadline. The framework governs payment stablecoins issued by national banks and certain nonbank issuers that fall under OCC jurisdiction. A payment stablecoin is a digital token designed to hold a steady value and move money, rather than act as a speculative asset. The rule’s core rests on three pillars: reserve backing, capital requirements and custody practices. The final rule sets a $5 million capital floor for stablecoin issuers. The rule also reaches into examination, supervision and relat...