In a letter to congress, their industry group, Financial Innovation Now, explained how state-by-state money transmission licensing is a major impediment to innovation in financial services here in the US:
Payment innovators currently must obtain and continually update money transmission licenses in nearly every state. Consumer protection is a critical part of payments regulation, but it makes no sense for different states to regulate digital money differently from one state to another, especially if that process significantly delays entry to market and prevents consumers and businesses in many states from having equal and consistently safe access to cutting edge payments technologies.
We’ve been highlighting the inefficiencies of this state-by-state approach since our inception; it’s probably the biggest hurdle to operating a cryptocurrency exchange or hosted wallet in the US, and (given how vaguely the definition of money transmission can be in various state statutes) it’s even a potential landmine for open blockchain developers working on non-custodial apps and infrastructure. So we are very happy to see that Financial Innovation Now, with companies like Google and Apple as members, is also disatisfied with the patchwork regulatory landscape for financial technology. And we’re thrilled with their suggested solution, a unified federal money transmission license issued by a new sub-branch of the department of treasury:
Establish an optional federal money transmission license,managed by the Treasury Department, that: 1) oversees application and licensing, safety and soundness, BSA/AML compliance; 2) incorporates a number of existing state money transmitter laws and Uniform Money Services Act requirements; 3) preserves the current state structure for those wishing state licenses; and 4) offers uniform federal law only for an applicant choosing a federal license.
We’ve previously talked about how the OCC’s fintech charter could be the vehicle for that unified approach. A fintech charter wouldn’t require new rulemaking or legislation, so in some ways it could be an easier road. But! An entirely new approach would also be a great way to reach that end result, and if the bigger players in the tech world push, a legislative solution might be viable. Exciting times.