The Fed Will Keep Focusing on Crypto — Fed Governor Says ‘We Do Not Want to Hinder Innovation’

Federal Reserve Governor Michelle Bowman says while “cryptocurrency activities can pose significant risks,” the Fed does not want to “hinder innovation.” She added: “By inhibiting innovation, we could be pushing growth in this space into the non-bank sector, leading to much less transparency and potential financial stability risk.”

Michelle Bowman, a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, talked about cryptocurrency, the U.S. economy, and the Fed’s effort to lower inflation Tuesday at a Florida Bankers Association Leadership event in Miami.

Commenting on the collapse of crypto exchange FTX and other recent events in the crypto space, the Fed governor said: “These events have made it clear that cryptocurrency activities can pose significant risks to consumers, businesses, and potentially the larger financial system.”

Noting that she expects some banks to continue exploring “how to engage in crypto-related activities,” Bowman emphasized:

The Fed and other banking agencies will continue to focus in this area, in light of the significant risks these activities may pose. But the bottom line is that we do not want to hinder innovation.

“As regulators, we should support innovation and recognize that the banking industry must evolve to meet consumer demand,” the Fed governor continued.

“By inhibiting innovation, we could be pushing growth in this space into the non-bank sector, leading to much less transparency and potential financial stability risk. We are thinking through some of these issues and what a regulatory approach could look like,” she opined.

Regarding the Federal Reserve’s fight against inflation, Governor Bowman stated that she has supported the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC)’s policy actions to address high inflation over the past year. “I am committed to taking further actions to bring inflation back down to our goal,” she stressed.

The Fed governor explained that the FOMC has been tightening monetary policy since last March “through a combination of increasing the federal funds rate by 4-1/4 percentage points and reducing our balance sheet holdings.”

While noting, “we’ve seen a decline in some measures of inflation” in recent months, Bowman emphasized:

We have a lot more work to do, so I expect the FOMC will continue raising interest rates to tighten monetary policy.

What do you think about the statements by Federal Reserve Governor Michelle Bowman about cryptocurrency and the Fed’s effort to lower inflation? Let us know in the comments section below.