The U.S. banking industry says the stablecoin provisions in the CLARITY Act still have loopholes

Mars Finance News: Several major U.S. banks have jointly stated that although senators are attempting to pass the CLARITY Act to prohibit stablecoins from generating yields, the latest wording in the bill still has loopholes, failing to effectively prevent bank deposit outflows and inadequately protect bank deposits. In a joint statement, the American Bankers Association, the Bank Policy Research Institute, the Consumer Bankers Association, the Financial Services Forum, and the Independent Community Bankers of America pointed out that Section 404 of the bill allows crypto platforms to pay users interest or yields similar to bank deposits outside traditional rules, which is a significant loophole that needs to be addressed. Banks warn that if the loophole is not closed, the widespread adoption of stablecoins could lead to the loss of trillions of dollars in deposits from the U.S. banking system (especially community banks), and may reduce consumer, small business, and agricultural loans by more than 20%. Senator Thom Tillis responded that the current text has reached a compromise: it bans stablecoin rewards on idle balances but allows crypto platforms to offer other forms of customer rewards, and believes this provides a possibility for bipartisan passage of the bill. However, the banking industry stated it will submit specific amendments to legislators in the coming days. The current text of the CLARITY Act was made public last Friday, and crypto industry players like Coinbase are pushing for a vote in the Senate next week.