EU Central Banks Call for Removal of Minimum Deposit Requirements for Stablecoins

08:25 AM EDT, 09/22/2026 (MT Newswires) -- The European System of Central Banks, or ESCB, called for changes to the minimum deposit requirement for stablecoins by removing the minimum predefined percentages that must be held as bank deposits. In a consultation response published Tuesday, the ESCB said the minimum deposit requirements for asset-referenced tokens and electronic money tokens should be replaced by a Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation, or MiCAR, requirement specifying so-called liquidity buckets. "The impact of stablecoins on banks depends largely on the management of reserve assets, while their broader adoption may make monetary policy transmission less predictable," according to the ESCB. "Overall, the introduction of stablecoin issuers may result in a less stable funding structure for banks and, depending on the composition of reserve assets, a smaller aggregate deposit base, with implications for banks' capacity to supply credit to the economy." The proposed amendments are aimed at ensuring that MiCAR supports economic growth in the European Union while also protecting the financial system's integrity and stability. The ESCB consists of the European Central Bank and the national central banks of EU countries.