Stablecoin Glossary
Stablecoin Regulation
Stablecoin regulation is the body of laws, regulations, licensing requirements, prudential rules, conduct standards, and supervisory expectations applied to stablecoin issuers and related arrangements.
Explanation
Regulatory approaches differ by jurisdiction and by the legal classification of the token. Common policy areas include authorization, reserve assets, redemption rights, capital, governance, operational resilience, custody, consumer protection, disclosures, AML/CFT, and recovery or wind-down. Some frameworks regulate the issuer directly, while others also impose obligations on custodians, exchanges, payment service providers, and other entities in the arrangement.
Why it matters
Regulatory design affects who may issue stablecoins, what assets can support them, what rights holders receive, and how failures or redemptions are handled.
Example
A jurisdiction may require an issuer to hold high-quality liquid reserves, provide redemption at par, maintain governance controls, and obtain authorization before offering a fiat-referenced stablecoin.
Related terms
Last reviewed: September 2026