The White House plans to impose strict penalties on bank discrimination through executive orders: Conservatives and encryption companies are guaranteed financial access.

According to a draft obtained by The Wall Street Journal, the White House plans to sign an executive order early this week to severely punish banks for discriminatory service refusals based on political positions or associations with Crypto Assets. The order requires federal regulatory agencies to investigate violations under laws such as the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, with violative banks facing fines, lawsuits, and mandatory corrective agreements. This move aims to address the "politically motivated lending" issues long complained about by conservative groups and Crypto Assets companies, or to reshape the rules for financial inclusion in the United States. This article will analyze the key points of the policy and its potential impact on the Crypto Assets industry.

Core Policy: Threefold Regulatory Sword Drawn The draft executive order constructs a comprehensive regulatory framework:

  1. Investigate Authorization: Request the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Federal Reserve, and other agencies to conduct a systematic review of the refusal of banking services.
  2. Legal Weapons: Focus on citing the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), the Antitrust Act, and consumer protection laws.
  3. Disciplinary Measures: Violating institutions may face hefty fines, legal action, and legally binding compliance rectification agreements. Special request for banking regulatory agencies to abolish the policy guidance that directs banks to review customers' "reputational risk" (reputational risk), which is often used to refuse service to politically sensitive or Crypto Assets related customers.

Controversy Focus: Accusations of Political Loan Cuts and Crypto Suppression The draft directly addresses two major long-term controversies:

  • Conservative Accusations: Christian groups and others accuse banks of closing accounts due to ideology (such as the incident where Bank of America closed the accounts of a Christian organization in Uganda).
  • Difficulties in the Crypto Industry: Companies allege they faced "invisible bans" (shadow ban) during the Biden administration, with traditional banking services being systematically cut off. The bank argues that decisions are based on compliance risks, especially concerning Crypto Assets businesses that are highly associated with fraud and money laundering, and emphasizes that the lack of clear regulatory guidance exacerbates risk control difficulties.

Bank Response: Policy Adjustments and Political Mediation In the face of policy pressure, the banking industry has taken action:

  • Policy Revision: Several banks have updated internal terms to explicitly prohibit discrimination based on political stance.
  • Political Communication: Meeting with Republican state attorneys general to reaffirm commitment to fair service.
  • Regulatory lobbying: US banks have publicly stated that they "welcome policy clarification" and have submitted detailed compliance proposals to the government. At the same time, the draft requires the Small Business Administration (SBA) to review the processing procedures of partner banks for loan applicants, which could affect millions of small businesses that rely on SBA loans.

Conclusion: If this executive order is implemented, it will mark a significant shift in the U.S. financial regulatory paradigm—from a conservative stance of avoiding "reputational risk" to an active intervention aimed at ensuring financial access for specific groups. For the Crypto Assets industry, the policy is expected to break down the long-standing barriers to banking services, opening up fiat currency channels for compliant enterprises. However, the effectiveness of the policy depends on three key factors: the intensity of regulatory scrutiny, the compliance adjustment costs for banks, and the judicial standards for identifying "political discrimination." In the context of a presidential election year, this executive order may become a new focal point in the financial policy game between the two parties, and its implementation will profoundly impact the survival environment of Crypto Assets companies and conservative organizations.

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