stable coins

Story: FASB Unveils Strict Three-Part Test for Classifying Stablecoins as Cash

By James Thorp

1 / 15

Why Secondary Markets Don't Cut It. Here's where it gets interesting for traders and treasury teams.

2 / 15

Companies Keep Some Discretion — But Not Much. There's one piece of flexibility buried in the proposal.

3 / 15

Comment Deadline and What Happens Next. FASB is taking public comments until November 19. After that, the board will go through whatever…

4 / 15

The Financial Accounting Standards Board wants to change how companies book stablecoins on their balance sheets.

5 / 15

FASB's proposal lays out a three-part test. A stablecoin has to carry an on-demand contractual redemption right.

6 / 15

Here's where it gets interesting for traders and treasury teams. FASB made a point of saying that secondary-market liquidity alone won't do it.

7 / 15

That distinction matters more than it sounds. A lot of companies holding stablecoins have been relying on the assumption that liquid markets are basically the same thing as…

8 / 15

And the reserves question is just as sharp. Stablecoins backed by crypto assets or gold? Out.

9 / 15

There's one piece of flexibility buried in the proposal. Companies that do have qualifying stablecoins won't be forced to present them as cash equivalents.

10 / 15

See also: SEC Cancels Crypto Rulemaking Meeting as White House and Wall Street Push Back

11 / 15

That's probably going to generate some interesting accounting conversations inside corporate treasury departments.

12 / 15

The broader context here is that digital asset accounting has been a mess for years. Companies holding Bitcoin, Ethereum, or stablecoins have had to navigate guidance that wasn't…

13 / 15

FASB is taking public comments until November 19. After that, the board will go through whatever feedback it gets from companies, auditors, industry groups, and anyone else who…

14 / 15

The comment period is genuinely important here. Stablecoin issuers, corporate treasury teams, and accounting firms all have skin in this game.

15 / 15

Read also: Compound Finance Drops $52M and Three New Executives in Institutional Pivot

The Currency Analytics

Want the full story?