GENIUS Act Does Not Broadly Exempt Stablecoin Firms From State Licensing

The GENIUS Act establishes federal rules for payment stablecoin issuers, but businesses that handle stablecoins for customers may still face state licensing requirements based on their activities. The federal rules for payment stablecoin issuers do not create a broad exemption for other firms. Exchanges, wallets, payment processors and remittance companies may still need to register with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) as money services businesses and obtain state money-transmission or virtual-currency licenses. Requirements depend on whether a business receives, controls, exchanges or transfers value for customers, and which entity performs each step.