Stablecoin Yield Ban Would Boost Bank Lending by Just 0.02%: White House

The White House released its analysis Tuesday, stating that banning yield on stablecoins would only slightly increase bank lending. Their April analysis by the Council of Economic Advisers estimated a modest increase of $2.1 billion, or 0.02% of outstanding bank loans. Community banks would see $500 million of additional lending, about 0.03% of their loan books.

The policy would also impose a net welfare cost of approximately $800 million annually, as households would miss out on competitive returns on stablecoin holdings. If stablecoins were to expand to 10% of bank deposits, the lending increase would range from $11 to $14 billion, or 0.1% of loans. However, the CEA believes those assumptions are highly improbable.

The analysis follows eight major banking trade associations' warning that stablecoin rewards could lead to deposit flight, negatively impacting banks' lending capacity for consumers and businesses.