US OCC to host discussion on tokenization of real-world assets

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency highlighted the “emerging divide” between crypto and tokenization and strongly criticized crypto for being “marked by rampant scams.“

The United States Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), an independent bureau of the U.S. Treasury Department that supervises national commercial banks in the country, will host a symposium on tokenization in February 2024. 

The upcoming symposium is set to ignite a public dialogue on the transformative potential of tokenizing real-world financial assets and liabilities. The event will particularly focus on establishing the groundwork for “responsible innovation.” In a press release, Acting Comptroller Michael Hsu highlights the emerging divide between crypto and the tokenization of real-world assets and liabilities:

“Crypto remains driven by the promise of speculative gains, continues to be marked by rampant scams, fraud, and hacks, and struggles to comply with anti-money laundering rules. By contrast, tokenization is driven by solving real-world settlement problems and can easily be developed in a safe and sound manner and fully compliant with anti-money laundering rules.”

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The symposium is set to include keynote remarks from Hyun Song Shin, economic adviser and head of research at the Bank for International Settlements. Panel discussions will explore the legal foundations for tokens, tokenization use cases, risk management considerations and economic research on tokenization.

The OCC says it will livestream the event and post the registration forms later in 2023 on its website.

The OCC has consistently discouraged banks from engaging with cryptocurrencies through its interpretive letters. At the start of 2023, it joined two other bank regulatory agencies in issuing a collective statement cautioning banks about the potential risks associated with crypto.

In March 2023, the agency announced the establishment of its Office of Financial Technology, which it said will broaden the OCC’s technology focus and help it stay abreast of the rapid developments in the banking industry.

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