Fed's top financial regulator urges 'guardrails' for crypto
The top U.S. banking regulator at the Federal Reserve is urging Congress to pass legislation that would impose regulation on crypto currencies
WASHINGTON (AP) — The top U.S. banking regulator at the Federal Reserve is urging Congress to pass legislation that would impose regulation on crypto currencies in the wake of the swift collapse last week of FTX, a leading crypto exchange.
Michael Barr, the Fed's vice chair for supervision, said in prepared testimony released Monday that “recent events in crypto ... have highlighted the risks to investors and consumers associated with new and novel asset classes and activities when not accompanied by strong guardrails.”
Barr, who took office in July, is scheduled to testify before Congress Tuesday for the first time as vice chair. He did not refer specifically to FTX in his written remarks.
Yet his appearance comes after FTX, the third-largest crypto currency exchange, formerly led by Sam Bankman-Fried, filed for bankruptcy Friday. The fall of FTX has rippled throughout the crypto world, with lender BlockFi pausing customer withdrawals.
