Policy Share Share this article Copy linkX (Twitter)LinkedInFacebookEmail Federal Reserve moves toward narrower, crypto Policy Share Share this article Copy linkX (Twitter)LinkedInFacebookEmail Federal Reserve moves toward narrower, crypto

Federal Reserve moves toward narrower, crypto-driven take on master accounts

Share
Share this article
Copy linkX (Twitter)LinkedInFacebookEmail

Federal Reserve moves toward narrower, crypto-driven take on master accounts

The U.S. central bank has been mulling the idea of a "skinny" version of master accounts for firms that want payments access without the deeper Fed demands.

By Jesse Hamilton|Edited by Nikhilesh De, Jamie Crawley
Updated Dec 19, 2025, 4:45 p.m. Published Dec 19, 2025, 4:31 p.m.
Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller has pushed an idea for new "payment accounts" that could give crypto firms a lighter version of master accounts. (Jesse Hamilton/CoinDesk)

What to know:

  • The U.S. Federal Reserve has issued a request for information that gets the ball rolling on a new kind of payment account that may benefit crypto firms that want access to Fed payment rails without too many regulatory requirements.
  • The central bank will accept thoughts from the public for 45 days.

The U.S. Federal Reserve took a first step toward establishing a more limited version of its so-called master accounts, welcoming input on how the central bank might formulate "payment accounts" that would grant access to its payment rails without firms having to jump through the considerable hoops that would grant fuller services.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the State of Crypto Newsletter today. See all newsletters
Sign me up

The Fed said in a Friday statement that it was requesting information on how to satisfy the incoming requests from firms that rely on new technology to more easily tap into services "for the express purpose of clearing and settling the institution’s payment activity," according to a board memo on the concept. The public comment window will be open for 45 days.

Fed master accounts are direct conduits for financial firms into the central bank's payment rails. They can be difficult to obtain, and that's been a struggle for some crypto firms.

"These new payment accounts would support innovation while keeping the payments system safe," said Governor Christopher Waller, in a statement. "This request for information is a key first step to ensuring that the Fed is responsive to evolutions in how payments are made."

Waller had spoken in favor of the idea before, having pitched it as a "skinny" master account in October. In Friday's descriptions, the accounts wouldn't pay interest, give access to credit from the Fed and would have balance caps.

Governor Michael Barr, the Democratic appointee who was the Fed's regulatory chief until the arrival of the administration of President Donald Trump, said he was opposing the request on grounds that it's "not sufficiently specific about safeguards to protect against the accounts being used for money laundering and terrorist financing by institutions we do not supervise."

Federal ReservepaymentsRegulationChristopher Waller

More For You

Protocol Research: GoPlus Security

Commissioned byGoPlus

What to know:

  • As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
  • GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
  • Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.
View Full Report

More For You

Poland’s lower house approves crypto law again, sends vetoed bill back to Senate

The Sejm passed the same version of the Crypto-Asset Market Act previously rejected by President Nawrocki, escalating political tensions.

What to know:

  • Poland's lower house of parliament passed a crypto regulation bill previously vetoed by President Nawrocki, sending it to the Senate for further debate.
  • The bill aligns with the EU's MiCA regulation, but is criticized for granting excessive powers to the Polish Financial Supervision Authority.
  • Prime Minister Tusk's government reintroduced the bill unchanged, emphasizing its importance for national crypto market oversight.
Read full story
Latest Crypto News

Foundation behind restaking protocol EigenLayer plans bigger rewards for active users

Polkadot's DOT holds steady with token unchanged over 24 hours

Citi trims crypto stock price targets after bitcoin's disappointing Q4

Most Influential 2025's Honorable Mentions

Most Influential: Hsiao-Wei Wang and Tomasz K. Stańczak

Most Influential: Luke Dashjr

Top Stories

Citi trims crypto stock price targets after bitcoin's disappointing Q4

DraftKings enters prediction markets with CFTC-approved app for real-world events

Wall Street bank JPMorgan says stablecoin market could grow to $600 billion by 2028

Bitcoin gains as yen surprisingly tumbles after BOJ rate hike: Crypto Daybook Americas

Jump Trading sued for $4 billion in connection to Do Kwon’s Terra Labs collapse: WSJ

Coinbase files lawsuits in 3 states over attempts to regulate prediction markets

Market Opportunity
Overtake Logo
Overtake Price(TAKE)
$0.33627
$0.33627$0.33627
+0.11%
USD
Overtake (TAKE) Live Price Chart
Disclaimer: The articles reposted on this site are sourced from public platforms and are provided for informational purposes only. They do not necessarily reflect the views of MEXC. All rights remain with the original authors. If you believe any content infringes on third-party rights, please contact service@support.mexc.com for removal. MEXC makes no guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of the content and is not responsible for any actions taken based on the information provided. The content does not constitute financial, legal, or other professional advice, nor should it be considered a recommendation or endorsement by MEXC.

You May Also Like

Polygon Tops RWA Rankings With $1.1B in Tokenized Assets

Polygon Tops RWA Rankings With $1.1B in Tokenized Assets

The post Polygon Tops RWA Rankings With $1.1B in Tokenized Assets appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. Key Notes A new report from Dune and RWA.xyz highlights Polygon’s role in the growing RWA sector. Polygon PoS currently holds $1.13 billion in RWA Total Value Locked (TVL) across 269 assets. The network holds a 62% market share of tokenized global bonds, driven by European money market funds. The Polygon POL $0.25 24h volatility: 1.4% Market cap: $2.64 B Vol. 24h: $106.17 M network is securing a significant position in the rapidly growing tokenization space, now holding over $1.13 billion in total value locked (TVL) from Real World Assets (RWAs). This development comes as the network continues to evolve, recently deploying its major “Rio” upgrade on the Amoy testnet to enhance future scaling capabilities. This information comes from a new joint report on the state of the RWA market published on Sept. 17 by blockchain analytics firm Dune and data platform RWA.xyz. The focus on RWAs is intensifying across the industry, coinciding with events like the ongoing Real-World Asset Summit in New York. Sandeep Nailwal, CEO of the Polygon Foundation, highlighted the findings via a post on X, noting that the TVL is spread across 269 assets and 2,900 holders on the Polygon PoS chain. The Dune and https://t.co/W6WSFlHoQF report on RWA is out and it shows that RWA is happening on Polygon. Here are a few highlights: – Leading in Global Bonds: Polygon holds 62% share of tokenized global bonds (driven by Spiko’s euro MMF and Cashlink euro issues) – Spiko U.S.… — Sandeep | CEO, Polygon Foundation (※,※) (@sandeepnailwal) September 17, 2025 Key Trends From the 2025 RWA Report The joint publication, titled “RWA REPORT 2025,” offers a comprehensive look into the tokenized asset landscape, which it states has grown 224% since the start of 2024. The report identifies several key trends driving this expansion. According to…
Share
BitcoinEthereumNews2025/09/18 00:40
OpenVPP accused of falsely advertising cooperation with the US government; SEC commissioner clarifies no involvement

OpenVPP accused of falsely advertising cooperation with the US government; SEC commissioner clarifies no involvement

PANews reported on September 17th that on-chain sleuth ZachXBT tweeted that OpenVPP ( $OVPP ) announced this week that it was collaborating with the US government to advance energy tokenization. SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce subsequently responded, stating that the company does not collaborate with or endorse any private crypto projects. The OpenVPP team subsequently hid the response. Several crypto influencers have participated in promoting the project, and the accounts involved have been questioned as typical influencer accounts.
Share
PANews2025/09/17 23:58
Will XRP Price Increase In September 2025?

Will XRP Price Increase In September 2025?

Ripple XRP is a cryptocurrency that primarily focuses on building a decentralised payments network to facilitate low-cost and cross-border transactions. It’s a native digital currency of the Ripple network, which works as a blockchain called the XRP Ledger (XRPL). It utilised a shared, distributed ledger to track account balances and transactions. What Do XRP Charts Reveal? […]
Share
Tronweekly2025/09/18 00:00