U.S. Treasury encourages new laws to address crypto regulation gaps

FILE PHOTO: Representations of cryptocurrencies Bitcoin, Ethereum, DogeCoin, Ripple, Litecoin are placed on PC motherboard in this illustration taken, June 29, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

(Reuters) - The Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC), a U.S. regulatory panel comprising top financial regulators, on Monday recommended that Congress pass legislation addressing risks digital assets pose to the financial system, including bills to bolster oversight of crypto spot markets and stablecoins.

In a report following U.S. President Joe Biden's executive order this year "on Ensuring Responsible Development of Digital Assets," the panel identified three gaps in the regulation of cryptocurrencies: limited oversight of the spot market for tokens that are not securities; opportunities for regulatory arbitrage, or taking advantage of favorable rules; and whether crypto firms should be allowed to integrate multiple services traditionally provided by intermediaries, like broker-dealers and clearing houses.