JPMorgan Chase CFO Jeremy Barnum warned that stablecoin yield products pose systemic risks, describing them as an attempt to replicate core banking functions without comparable regulation. Speaking during the bank’s fourth-quarter earnings call, Barnum said interest-bearing stablecoins resemble deposits but lack the prudential safeguards developed through decades of bank oversight.
His comments come as lawmakers debate limits on stablecoin yield in updated crypto market structure legislation. A recent Senate draft would restrict issuers and platforms from directly offering yield unless returns are tied to activities such as staking or transaction-based services. Banks have pushed for tighter constraints, arguing that yield-bearing stablecoins could draw deposits away from the regulated banking system.
Barnum said JPMorgan remains open to competing with crypto products where customer demand exists but questioned whether stablecoin yield meaningfully improves consumer outcomes. He added that if crypto offerings gain traction, banks may respond by enhancing their own services rather than ceding ground to lightly regulated alternatives.
