The OCC said it wants US community banks to help shape the future of payments and is encouraging them to develop payment stablecoin capabilities, with interested banks encouraged to consider applying to become, or for a subsidiary to become, a permitted payment stablecoin issuer, as applicable (USOCC).

The OCC said it wants US community banks to help shape the future of payments and is encouraging them to develop payment stablecoin capabilities, with interested banks encouraged to consider applying to become, or for a subsidiary to become, a permitted payment stablecoin issuer, as applicable (USOCC).

It framed this as complementing its Community Bank Comeback work to right-size regulation and tailor supervision so community banks can grow and compete, and said requirements are tailored to issuers' business models with examination cycles reflecting size and complexity, supporting opportunities for community banks to participate (USOCC).

On deposits, the OCC said the effect of stablecoin adoption on community bank deposits remains uncertain, estimates vary widely, and it takes funding concerns seriously and is closely monitoring potential outflows (USOCC). No application date or January 18, 2027 deadline detail was in those OCC posts themselves; that deadline framing came from CoinDesk's post (CoinDesk).