For the first time ever, regulators in the United States issued a joint warning to banks about crypto-related risks, prompted by the massive failures of several large crypto companies.
Raising concerns about crypto's place in the banking sector, three US regulators – the Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) – issued a joint statement on cryptoasset risks to banking organizations.
Notably, they said that,
“The events of the past year have been marked by significant volatility and the exposure of vulnerabilities in the crypto-asset sector. These events highlight a number of key risks associated with crypto-assets and crypto-asset sector participants that banking organizations should be aware of.”
The “key risks” associated with the sector and its participants, per the statement, include:
The fear here is that those crypto-related risks that can't be controlled or mitigated may migrate to the banking sector. Therefore, the statement suggested that there is now a heightened focus on the crypto sector, with the regulators, stating that,
"The agencies are supervising banking organizations that may be exposed to risks stemming from the crypto-asset sector and carefully reviewing any proposals from banking organizations to engage in activities that involve crypto-assets."
The "careful and cautious approach" taken by the agencies in this respect is boosted by the recent failures of several large crypto companies.
And though not mentioned by name, the FTX exchange is certainly one of these companies. The implosion of this exchange and its sister company Alameda Research back in November has sent massive shockwaves throughout the crypto industry and
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