Bank for International Settlements: Global coordination on stablecoin regulation is critical to preventing market fragmentation

Pablo Hernandez de Cos, General Manager of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), stated that global coordination on stablecoin regulation is critical to preventing severe market fragmentation; otherwise, regulatory divergences across jurisdictions could trigger regulatory arbitrage. He noted that stablecoins are typically pegged 1:1 to the U.S. dollar and may undermine monetary and fiscal policy, exert stress on financial markets, and hinder efforts to combat illicit financing. Currently, the two largest stablecoins—issued by Tether and Circle—account for approximately 85% of the global $315 billion stablecoin circulating supply. He also remarked that these stablecoins resemble securities more than money—particularly in terms of redemption frictions—and operate more like ETFs.