digital assets hearing
For Republicans – with the (successful) election of Rep. Mike Johnson (R, LA) as House Speaker looming later in the day – yesterday’s House Financial Services (HFS) Digital Assets, Financial Technology and Inclusion Subcommittee hearing was perhaps both a distraction and a welcome respite from the politicking and drama of the past three weeks.
Titled, “Modernizing Financial Services Through Innovation and Competition” (agenda and witnesses), Chair French Hill (R, AR) noted the Subcommittee’s accomplishments on digital assets legislation in his opening statement and explained that the day’s hearing would explore the broader FinTech topic.
Ranking Member Steven Lynch (D, MA) opened by skewering his Republican counterparts about whether the hearing’s timing was appropriate considering the acute need for a House Speaker.
Moving to the day’s subject matter of financial technology, Lynch echoed themes heard from Democratic Party leadership in previous hearings on digital assets: “I believe technology does have the potential to lower costs and improve accessibility for those left out of the traditional financial services service sector. However, while remaining interested in, and really believing in, the potential of FinTech and and ‘Buy Now Pay Later’ products, I want to say that some of these are simply repackaged versions of traditional finance -but packaged in a way to evade laws and regulations under the claims of innovation.”
See the video. The hearing’s duration was 1 hour and 45 minutes.
more tips:
Rep. Hill Statement on Rep. Mike Johnson (R, LA) Elected To Speaker Of The House – hill.house.gov
what you should know: Republicans wanted it to appear that it was “business as usual” in the House Financial Services Digital Assets Subcommittee hearing room. Yet, the House Speaker drama remained a heavy, gauze curtain on the proceedings and HFS Democrats didn’t let the majority forget it. With the new House Speaker finally decided today, Republicans will need to come hard out of the gates in the days to come to try and save face with the electorate by effectively legislating and moving forward impactful law. In turn, Democrats will likely have significant “asks” that they wouldn’t have had a chance to make a month ago. For example, in digital assets, a re-negotiation of the stablecoin bill could be on the table, which Chair McHenry seemed to originally declined during the bill’s July markup. That bill’s success (makes it to law) likely turns on the states rights versus Federal oversight of stablecoins. The Dem conundrum: Democratic leadership in D.C. supports the latter, even though Democratic states such as New York support states rights. Continue reading “House Financial Services Holds FinTech And Illicit Financing Hearings; NDAA As Vehicle”