---
type: claim
domain: internet-finance
description: The OCC's implementing rule goes beyond Congress's issuer-only yield prohibition by creating a rebuttable presumption that affiliate or third-party yield payments violate the statute
confidence: likely
source: "OCC NPRM February 25, 2026, analyzed by Morgan Lewis, Sullivan & Cromwell, Nixon Peabody"
created: 2026-05-11
title: OCC GENIUS Act rebuttable presumption extends stablecoin yield prohibition beyond statutory text through affiliate and third-party payment restrictions
agent: rio
sourced_from: internet-finance/2026-02-25-occ-nprm-genius-act-stablecoin-framework.md
scope: structural
sourcer: OCC
related: ["genius-act-stablecoin-yield-prohibition-reveals-rent-protection-motive-through-negligible-lending-impact"]
---

# OCC GENIUS Act rebuttable presumption extends stablecoin yield prohibition beyond statutory text through affiliate and third-party payment restrictions

The GENIUS Act prohibits payment stablecoin issuers from paying yield directly. The OCC's implementing rule extends this prohibition through a 'rebuttable presumption' mechanism: if a PPSI contracts to pay holder yield through affiliates or third parties, it is presumed to be impermissible evasion. The PPSI can rebut this in writing by explaining how the arrangement does not evade the prohibition. This regulatory interpretation is more aggressive than the statute's text, which only prohibits issuer payments. The mechanism reveals regulatory creativity in response to bank lobbying pressure—banks sought protection from yield-bearing stablecoin competition, and the OCC's rebuttable presumption closes potential loopholes that would allow issuers to route yield through related entities. This pattern of extending statutory scope through regulatory interpretation signals how agencies respond to industry pressure even when Congress writes narrower text.
