The White House has issued an executive order directing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Securities and Exchange Commission, National Credit Union Administration, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to review rules and supervisory practices that may be hindering fintech activity. Within 90 days, each regulator must examine existing regulations, guidance, supervisory approaches, and application processes to identify changes that could facilitate innovation and competition in financial products and services, particularly for small and emerging fintech firms, while preserving safety and soundness, consumer and investor protection, market integrity, financial stability, and oversight. The review must identify measures that unduly impede partnerships between fintech firms and federally regulated institutions, including insured depository institutions, credit unions, broker-dealers, investment advisers, and futures commission merchants. It must also identify ways to streamline application processes for eligible fintech firms seeking bank or credit union charters, deposit or share insurance, and other federal licenses, registrations, and authorizations. Within 180 days, each regulator must, in consultation with the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, take steps to encourage innovation based on that review. The order also requests that the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System complete the same review and, within 120 days, submit a report on the legal, regulatory, and policy framework for granting uninsured depository institutions and non-bank financial companies direct access to Reserve Bank payment accounts and payment services, including firms involved in digital assets and other novel activities. The report is requested to assess the Federal Reserve's legal authority, options for expanding access, legal impediments, and whether individual Reserve Banks can act independently in access decisions. If the Federal Reserve concludes that current law permits such access, it is requested to establish transparent application procedures and decide complete applications within 90 days.
The White House2026-05-19
The White House orders federal financial regulators to review fintech barriers and requests Federal Reserve study on payment account access
The White House issued an executive order directing the CFPB, SEC, NCUA, CFTC, FDIC, and OCC to review rules, guidance, supervisory practices, and application processes that may hinder fintech activity and partnerships with federally regulated institutions, and to identify changes that support innovation and competition while preserving safety, soundness, and market integrity. The order also requests that the Federal Reserve Board review the legal, regulatory, and policy framework for granting uninsured depository institutions and non-bank financial companies, including digital asset firms, direct access to Reserve Bank payment accounts and services, and, if permitted, establish transparent application procedures and timelines.