• The head of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee has requested more transparency from stablecoin issuers.
• He has asked USDC issuer Circle to explain the process of minting stablecoins and their operation by December 3.

Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), the head of the United States Senate Banking Committee is looking to obtain additional information about the use of stablecoins. As a result, Senator Brown has requested additional information from stablecoin issuers and exchanges about how they are protecting investors from the risks involved with the crypto markets.

Besides, the Senator is also concerned about consumers and investors not entirely understanding the inner workings of stablecoins. The lawmakers also think that investors have little knowledge and understanding of the risks associated with digital coins.

He also accused the crypto companies of hiding some complicated terms and conditions under the fine print. Senator Brown also expressed significant concerns with the “non-standardized terms applicable to the redemption of particular stablecoins”. He also said that they differ significantly from the traditional assets making them a bit more confusing.

Senator Brown writes a letter to Circle

Citing all his concerns, Senator Sherrod Brown has recently written a letter to payments service provider Circle. He also highlighted that the terms of use may not be consistent across other crypto trading platforms. Circle’s USD Coin (USDC) is the second-most popular stablecoin in the market after Tether’s USDT. USDC also makes up the top ten cryptocurrencies in the world by market cap.

Apart from Circle, Brown has also sent a similar letter to other crypto trading platforms like Coinbase, Binance.US, Gemini, Paxos, Trusttoken and Tether. Brown has sought more clarity from the stablecoin issuers while asking them to explain the process of minting and redemption of stablecoins. He also asked them to clarify their arrangements with crypto exchanges in “straightforward” terms.

The Senator refers to the stablecoin report released earlier this month by President’s Working Group.  The report urges regulators to restrict stablecoins issuance to banks. This comes as the stablecoin issuance jumps from $30 billion at the beginning of 2021, to over $130 billion.

The report furthers adds: “Failure to act risks growth of payment stablecoins without adequate protection for users, the financial system, and the broader economy”.

In his recent letter to Circle, Senator Brown also highlighted that stablecoins are seeing wider adoption. Thus, their importance in affecting crypto transactions hints at the need for having a better understanding of the basic operations and the limitations of USDC.

The Senator has asked Circle to describe the process of minting which allows customers to acquire the USDC against the U.S. Dollar. He also sought additional information on the number of tokens issued along with other operational conditions to prevent the redemption of stablecoins. The Senator has given Circle a deadline of December 3 to respond.