The U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) said it will finalise by November the final implementing rules for the "Genius Act", legislation on payment stablecoins.

On Aug. 19, local time, blockchain outlet Cointelegraph reported that OCC Comptroller Jonathan Gould (조너선 굴드) unveiled the timeline at the Wyoming Blockchain Symposium.

Gould said the OCC will review industry comments on the implementing proposal it released in February and issue the final rule by November. He said the rules will be in place ahead of the planned January 2027 start date, making clear the aim is to reduce regulatory gaps.

The Genius Act was signed and took effect in July 2025, and aims to create a regulatory framework for payment stablecoins in the United States. Under the law, the OCC as well as the Treasury Department, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (FDIC) and the Federal Reserve Board must draw up detailed rules.

The key issue is the implementation deadline. The OCC released a 376-page draft rule in February and began collecting opinions, but the relevant agencies must finalise the rules by Jan. 18, 2027, in line with the law’s implementation. Several regulators have already published draft implementing proposals and sought feedback, but they have not issued final versions by July. Schedule delays have increased uncertainty for stablecoin issuers over licensing procedures and business preparations.

Gould also mentioned the licensing timeline. He said he expects regulators to be able to begin processing applications related to stablecoin issuers from 2027. That would mean actual licensing reviews could begin along with the law’s implementation.

In the market, attention is likely to focus on the confirmation of the schedule itself rather than the detailed content of the final rules. Formalising payment stablecoins is meant to clarify issuance requirements and oversight systems, and the later the rules are announced, the greater the preparation burden on operators. With the OCC presenting a November target, the outline of the regulatory timetable has at least emerged.

Still, the final framework will not be completed by the OCC alone. The Genius Act is designed for multiple supervisory agencies to set rules for their respective areas. The question going forward is whether other agencies will update their rules at the same pace alongside the OCC’s November final version. With limited time until the January 2027 start date, how quickly regulatory consistency and practical standards for licensing procedures are specified is expected to determine uncertainty in the stablecoin market.