I want to begin by thanking each and every Kansas banker that reached out to U.S. Senator Jerry Moran and U.S. Senator Roger Marshall to express concern regarding the flight of core deposits that will undoubtedly occur if Congress fails to address the loophole that exists for digital assets market participants (stablecoin providers) bent on competing against banks by offering yield, interest and rewards on payment stablecoins. Banker engagement across America turned the tide of this policy debate and led the U.S. Senate Banking Committee to recently delay action on digital asset market structure legislation that has been “in the works” for several years. The fact that U.S. Senate Banking Chairman Tim Scott (R-South Carolina) hit the pause button confirmed that our industry has strong allies in Congress who share our concerns.

It’s imperative that we recognize this as a “pause in action” and remain vigilant as stablecoin policy deliberations continue in our nation’s capital. With direct support for a digital asset market structure coming from the White House, in addition to several influential members of Congress, it’s only a matter of time before the next round of this policy debate takes center stage. I encourage every Kansas banker to continue sharing your concerns with Senator Moran, Senator Marshall, and members of their respective staffs. With estimates for deposit runoff from the banking industry as high as $1.3 trillion, we simply can’t afford to stop beating this drum for Kansas banks and the communities we serve.

While digital assets policy is the latest addition to KBA’s federal legislative priorities list, it’s just one of more than a dozen issues KBA remains fully engaged on in 2026. KBA continues to press for FDIC Deposit Insurance Reform that levels the playing field for banks of all sizes, and we are urging both Congress and federal bank regulators to finish the job of indexing outdated and growth-restricting regulatory thresholds that hinder a bank’s ability to grow and expand the services it provides to customers. KBA has been heavily engaged in implementing the Access to Credit for our Rural Economy (ACRE) Act, and we won’t stop working until the CFPB’s small-business lending reporting rule is repealed.

Finally, like a bad penny, our industry is once again facing one-sided federal legislation that would inject government interference in the credit card marketplace. Regrettably, the so-called Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA) and a 10% government-imposed cap on credit card interest rates are being championed by U.S. Senator, Roger Marshall. The CCCA would shift control of credit card payment processing to merchants, undermining credit card security and rewards/cashback programs, while imposing a 10% rate cap would devastate access to credit cards for lower and moderate-income earners in Kansas. A 10% interest rate price control would lower credit limits, tighten credit card lending standards and reduce rewards/cashback for all cardholders. It’s up to us to keep pushing back and educate our customers about the negative implications of these heavy-handed government mandates on access to and control over our individual credit cards.