OCC races to finish GENIUS Act stablecoin rules as the statutory deadline slips

That distinction matters because the GENIUS Act’s deadline has already passed. The statute required implementing regulations within a year, while the OCC’s own regulatory agenda lists a final-rule target in July 2026. A final OCC rule was not located in the agency’s current public releases or agenda materials checked for this report.

The record is still a set of proposals

The OCC’s February proposed rule and the related Federal Register notice describe regulations for permitted payment stablecoin issuers under the law. The agency’s regulatory agenda records the statutory requirement and a July final-rule target, but it does not itself establish that the rule has taken effect.

Other pieces of the architecture are moving on parallel tracks. A joint customer-identification proposal from the OCC, Federal Reserve, FDIC, FinCEN and NCUA remains open for comment through Aug. 21. It would apply identity controls to permitted payment stablecoin issuers, but it is also a proposal, not a live requirement.

November would be a catch-up timetable

If the OCC is targeting November, that would be a catch-up timetable rather than the deadline set out in the law. The remaining work is not just publication: the agencies must settle the scope of permitted issuers, supervisory responsibilities, reporting, reserve treatment and the interaction between federal and state pathways.

For issuers and market operators, the practical signal is that the rules are close enough to shape planning but not final enough to treat every proposal as an operating obligation. The next proof is a completed final rule in the Federal Register, followed by its effective date and the agency guidance that turns the statutory framework into a compliance schedule.