The GENIUS Act, the federal stablecoin law signed on July 18, 2025, told regulators to write its implementing rules within one year. That deadline passed on Saturday, July 18, 2026. The rules the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) have published are still proposals.
What changed
- Rulemaking deadline (section 13)July 18, 2026, one year after enactment
- OCC rulesproposed (bulletin February 25, 2026; Federal Register March 2, 2026)
- FDIC rulesproposed (application procedures December 2025; issuer standards April 7, 2026, comments closed June 9, 2026)
- Law takes effectJanuary 18, 2027, or 120 days after regulators issue final rules, if earlier
Sources: GENIUS Act, Public Law 119-27 · OCC Bulletin 2026-3 · FDIC proposed rule · Checked on September 27, 2026
Why it matters
The effective date decides when the Act’s framework for US payment stablecoin issuers starts to apply. With no final rules on July 18, the outside date of January 18, 2027 applies unless final rules arrive early enough to trigger the 120-day clock first. The FDIC’s April proposal also addresses deposit insurance: it would clarify that bank deposits held as stablecoin reserves are not insured on a pass-through basis to stablecoin holders.
Update: On August 18, 2026 the Treasury Department published its own proposed rule under section 3 of the Act. It still describes January 18, 2027 as the expected effective date, and says that from July 18, 2028 digital asset service providers may not offer or sell a payment stablecoin in the US unless a permitted issuer issued it (Federal Register).
What to do
- Nothing changes in how you send a stablecoin today. Check the network, address and any memo before each transfer: see stablecoin transfers and wrong network or wrong address.
This is general information, not financial or legal advice.
