4 Issues Driving ICBA’s Government Relations Team in 2026 Stablecoin, the GENIUS Act and CFPB Activity Are Focuses for Community Bank Advocacy This Year By BRIDGET McCREA, ICBA community banks entered 2026 with numerous legislative and regulatory issues in play. While some are familiar pressure points, others reflect how newer policies and technologies are increasingly appearing in real proposals and oversight. Here are four issues ICBA’s government relations team is closely engaged with as the year unfolds. 1. REGULATORY RELIEF PUSH Regulatory relief for community banks has been a central legislative priority throughout the 119th Congress. Early in the session, the House Financial Services Committee introduced a new agenda that targets compliance pressure through a package of relief measures designed for smaller institutions. “At the beginning of this Congress, the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee launched an agenda called Make Community Banks Great Again,” says Paul Merski, EVP of congressional relations at ICBA. “With that, we’re pushing a number of legislative packages and bills to reduce the regulatory burden on community banks.” Progress on this initiative has included House passage of several regulatory relief provisions in the ICBA-advocated community banking title of the Housing for the 21st Century Act (H.R. 6644) as well as the introduction of the comprehensive Main Street Capital Access Act (H.R. 6955) by House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill and committee member Andy Barr. “Reducing the regulatory burden is one of our top priorities,” Merski says. “Passing that legislation through the House and Senate during this Congress would make a real difference.” Community bankers can support these efforts by engaging directly with lawmakers through ICBA’s Be Heard grassroots action center and by attending the annual ICBA Capital Summit. “When community bankers weigh in directly with members of Congress, it matters,” Merski says. “That engagement helps us speak with a broader, louder voice.” 2. STABLECOIN AND OTHER DIGITAL ASSETS The current Congress is closely focused on legislation to reform the digital asset market structure, intended to establish a regulatory framework for crypto assets and intermediaries. ICBA has been closely engaged with policymakers on stablecoin policies. “The digital asset space is very broad, but the current focus is on stablecoin,” Merski says. “We’re watching how banks and nonbanks could issue stablecoin and how new legislation and regulation could affect community banks.” Community banks are paying close attention to proposals that could allow stablecoins to pay interest or yield, which Merski says could disrupt traditional deposit relationships. “We’re particularly focused on making sure stablecoin doesn’t pay interest or yield,” he says. “That could displace community bank deposits if it moves forward.” ICBA is actively engaged on the legislative front and encourages members to stay informed and involved. “This is an area where bankers really need to get up to speed and weigh in,” Merski says. “We’ve identified specific concerns and provided tools through our grassroots action center, where bankers can engage on both the policy and business implications.” 3. IMPLEMENTING THE GENIUS ACT Meanwhile, federal regulators have begun rulemaking on previous stablecoin legislation, putting the GENIUS Act into focus for community banks in 2026. After Congress passed the law last year, agencies are now drafting 24 Community Banker
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy ODQxMjUw