This page may contain stale information. Last updated: 2026-07-05
Definition
Reserve requirements for stablecoins and virtual asset providers specify how much backing capital must be held, where reserves must be custodied, and what assets qualify as high-quality liquid backing.
2026 Global Divergence
Kenya (Proposed)
- ≥30% of stablecoin funds received must sit in local Kenyan commercial bank accounts
- Industry warns of trapped liquidity, slower transactions, higher remittance costs
- Parliament questions duplication for foreign-issued stablecoins (2026-07-05-kenyan-treasury-stablecoin-30-percent-reserve)
EU MiCA
- Stablecoin issuers must hold part of reserves with EU credit institutions
- tether declined MiCA e-money authorization — driving revolut USDT delisting and broader CASP restrictions (2026-07-05-revolut-usdt-mica-delist)
Policy Tension
Treasury/regulators seek domestic liquidity anchoring and investor protection; global issuers and exchanges warn that localization rules discourage international operators and create overlapping compliance burdens.