Circle (CRCL) and Coinbase (COIN) shares both fell more than 3% after reports that JPMorgan Chase and a consortium of major banks were moving toward issuing their own stablecoins following the advancement of the CLARITY Act. The news focused attention on the potential for traditional lenders to compete with crypto-native issuers such as Circle and Tether.
The selloff followed a Wall Street Journal report that U.S. banks are warming to stablecoins as nonbank issuers expand and executives worry the tokens could encroach on traditional banking. JPMorgan Chase has explored a potential stablecoin, though the discussions remain preliminary and no product is under development.
Separately, a consortium of more than a dozen banks, including Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Santander, is advancing plans for a commercial-focused stablecoin. The consortium has discussed a stablecoin covering the U.S. dollar, the euro, and other Group of Seven currencies.
CRCL retail sentiment on Stocktwits slipped from the extremely bullish zone to the bullish zone as chatter stayed at high levels over the past day. COIN sentiment remained in the extremely bullish zone, while chatter also stayed at high levels.
BankChain Alliance Plans a Bank-Owned Network
The BankChain Alliance announced an industry-owned and industry-governed blockchain network intended to enable banks of all sizes to build modern payment rails. According to the Wall Street Journal, the organizations involved, modeled on the Federal Home Loan Bank system, represent about 3,283 institutions and $21.8 trillion in assets. The platform is anticipated to emerge in the first half of 2027.
Planned use cases include treasury management, supply-chain financing, cash management, tokenized deposits, stablecoins, smart payment tools, and automated settlement. The Alliance said it is seeking a technology partner and that the network would be interoperable with other networks and open to ownership by banks nationwide.
Kathy Kraninger, interim chair of the BankChain Alliance and president and CEO of the Florida Bankers Association, said the collaboration is intended to help banks of all sizes build their future and continue serving customers safely and efficiently across rural, urban, and regional communities.
Kathy Kraninger speaking at a Bipartisan Policy Center event.
The announcements point to banks exploring on-chain payment and settlement services alongside tokenized deposits and stablecoins. The reported plans remain preliminary in JPMorgan’s case, while the BankChain Alliance network is planned for 2027.
