연방준비제도, ‘은행 조직에 대한 암호자산 위험’ 경고 발표

연방준비제도는 다른 연방 은행 규제 기관들과 함께 암호자산 및 전체 암호화폐 산업과 관련된 은행에 대한 중요한 위험을 강조하는 공동 성명을 발표했습니다.

이 성명은 규제 기관들이 암호화폐에 대한 일관된 지침이나 규칙을 발표하지 못하고 있는 상황에서 나왔으며, 은행들은 더 명확한 지침을 원하고 있습니다. 그러나 전통적인 대출기관이 디지털 자산을 어떻게 다루어야 하는지에 대한 새로운 정책은 포함하고 있지 않습니다.

미국 은행 규제 기관들은 화요일에 금융 기관들에게 암호화폐와 거래할 경우 사기, 부정 행위, 법적 불확실성, 기만적인 공시 등 여러 위험에 노출될 수 있음을 경고했습니다.

“완화하거나 통제할 수 없는 암호자산 부문과 관련된 위험이 은행 시스템으로 전이되지 않도록 하는 것이 중요합니다,” 라고 기관들은 암호화폐에 관한 첫 공동 성명에서 말했습니다.

규제 기관들은 또한 은행과 암호화폐를 어떻게 다룰지 아직 파악 중이라고 밝혔습니다. 현재는 사례별로 접근하고 있으며, 규제 기관들은 암호화폐가 은행 조직, 고객 및 미국 전체 금융 시스템에 미칠 수 있는 위험에 대한 이해를 구축하고 있습니다.

As such, they’re being “careful and cautious” and will issue further statements on banks’ crypto-related activities as warranted. They also said they’d continue to work with other agencies on crypto issues.

더 많은 명확성 요구

The joint statement came at a time when US policymakers have been pressing regulators for greater transparency in the cryptocurrency sector following the high-profile November crash of the crypto exchange FTX.

이 성명은 실제로 파산한 암호화폐 거래소 FTX의 공동 설립자이자 전 CEO인 샘 뱅크먼-프리드(SBF)가 전자 사기, 증권 사기, 자금 세탁, 공모 등 8건의 형사 혐의에 대해 무죄를 주장하기 직전 몇 분 전에 발표되었습니다. SBF는 FTX 붕괴와 관련된 혐의로 최대 115년형에 처해질 수 있습니다.

전 암호화폐 억만장자는 FTX가 파산을 선언한 지 거의 두 달 만에 뉴욕시 법정에 출두했으며, 이는 업계에 큰 충격을 주었습니다.

현재 투자자와 고객들의 수십억 달러가 사라졌으며, 미국 법무부(DOJ), 증권거래위원회(SEC), 상품선물거래위원회(CFTC)는 모두 FTX가 처음부터 사기를 저질렀다고 비난하고 있습니다.

SBF는 지난달 바하마에서 체포된 뒤 미국으로 송환되어 형사 혐의에 직면했습니다. 그는 현재 부모와 함께 살면서 2억 5천만 달러 보석금을 내고 석방된 상태입니다. 한편, 그의 두 동료인 알라메다 리서치 전 CEO 캐롤라인 엘리슨과 FTX 공동 설립자 게리 왕은 이미 유죄를 인정하고 검찰과 협조하고 있다고 당국은 밝혔습니다.

US District Judge Lewis Kaplan has tentatively set a start date for the trial on October 2nd and has added a new bail condition, saying that SBF is not allowed to access FTX or Alameda assets.

암호화폐와 관련된 주요 위험

Now, at the start of the New Year, on January 3rd, the Joint Statement on Crypto-Asset Risks to Banking Organizations was issued by federal bank regulators, highlighting risks to bank organizations related to the crypto sector.

The regulators in question included the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).

The trifecta of regulators warned banks of a litany of risks related to cryptocurrencies, including shoddy risk management and governance practices at crypto firms.

Banks were also warned to watch for concentration risks, given how interconnected the crypto sector has proven to be, and protect against contagion risks more generally.

Other risks identified include fraud risks to participants in the cryptocurrency assets sector, legal uncertainties related to custodial practices, redeemability, and property rights; significant volatility in crypto markets, which impacts deposit flows of companies; and stablecoins vulnerability to bank runs.

The statement also stated heightened risks associated with open, public, and decentralized networks, including the lack of governance mechanisms establishing oversight of the system; the absence of standards to establish roles clearly; and vulnerabilities related to outages, cyber-attacks, lost or trapped assets, and illicit finance.

The agencies further listed risks associated with inaccurate or misleading statements and disclosures from companies engaged in crypto, including false statements regarding Federal Deposit Insurance, as well as other practices that may be deceptive, unfair, or abusive, resulting in substantial losses for retail and institutional investors, customers, and counterparties, that banking organizations should be aware of.

Additionally, crypto companies issuing digital tokens or holding them on their own balance sheets “is highly likely to be inconsistent with safe and sound banking practices,” the agencies argued. The regulators said they have “significant safety and soundness concerns with business models concentrated in crypto-asset-related activities.”

은행에 대한 지침

This first joint statement of 2023 follows a year filled with digital assets scandals and bankruptcies. The group of powerful bank regulators said that the recent failures of major crypto firms led them to exercise caution in reviewing banks’ proposals to engage with the market.

This year we saw the crash of the Terra USD algorithmic stablecoin, questionable deposit insurance application by cryptocurrency company Voyager, and the most recent collapse of the crypto exchange FTX.

The three US agencies said that although banks are not prohibited or deterred from providing banking services to the extent permitted by law or regulations to cryptocurrency customers, they strongly urge banks to think carefully before getting involved in the space. Also, agencies are considering how crypto-related activities might proceed.

According to the joint statement, US regulators are monitoring banks that might be exposed to risks related to crypto and are closely scrutinizing banks’ proposals for engaging in crypto activities.

The Fed, the FDIC, and OCC have also said that they are considering proposed activities related to cryptocurrencies within each banking entity in a manner that adequately addresses safety and soundness to provide the greatest consumer protections and ensure adequate crypto compliance in line with existing laws.

Before engaging in crypto-related activities, a regulated bank entity must evaluate whether an activity is permitted; determine if it is required to file reports pursuant to applicable federal or state laws; and establish appropriate systems and controls in place to operate such activities safely and appropriately, in accordance with any applicable laws.

The agencies also encouraged banks to implement proper risk management, with appropriate policies and monitoring in place to mitigate and detect risks.

They further encouraged banks to monitor the evolving legal requirements to offer custody services for digital assets and be aware of the governance mechanisms – or lack of them – in crypto platforms with which they hoped to cooperate.

기관 간 협력

This new statement from regulators is much stronger than previous ones from the agencies with a focus on risks from crypto. For instance, back in 2021년 11월, they announced an initiative to clarify regulations around crypto where its major focus was ensuring that banks didn’t process crypto for criminals.

While the US banking regulators remain cautious, they’ve allowed some custody operations among lenders. The OCC also briefly extended provisional charters to crypto trust banks. But the rules at the agencies now hold that a lender must get approval in advance before getting into any new business involving the crypto sector.

Last month, the heads of the three agencies agreed with the Financial Stability Oversight Council to include crypto as a danger area in the group’s annual report that flags risks to the financial system.

A few bills have been proposed in Congress to regulate crypto, but it will take some time for the legislation to make its way through before it becomes law.

For now, the report calls on agencies to issue guidance and regulations to work together to address both ongoing and emerging risks within the digital assets ecosystem.