Largest US Union Federation Opposes Crypto Bill, Says It Exposes Workers’ Retirement Funds to Risk

Core Points - The AFL-CIO opposes the Responsible Financial Innovation Act, citing concerns over exposing workers' retirement funds to cryptocurrency volatility and increasing systemic financial risk [1][4][6] - The legislation could allow retirement plans like 401(k)s to hold risky crypto assets, which the AFL-CIO argues would not protect workers from financial instability [1][2] - The union federation represents millions of American workers whose retirement security could be impacted by this legislation [2] Group 1 - The AFL-CIO warns that the bill would enable FDIC-backed banks to hold and trade crypto assets directly, increasing the risk of losses and failures for banks and the FDIC's Deposit Insurance Fund [4] - The legislation allows for the tokenization of securities, enabling private companies to create unregulated "shadow" public stocks outside SEC oversight, which could pose risks to both shadow and public stockholders [5][7] - The union expresses concerns about the potential destabilization of traditional financial markets, likening the risks to those seen in unregulated derivatives markets prior to the 2008 financial crisis [6] Group 2 - The bill is seen as weakening federal and state enforcement tools against fraud and conflicts of interest, which could lead to increased risks in the financial system [6][7] - The legislation reduces public disclosure requirements and allows securities issuers to evade SEC regulation through tokenization, undermining consumer protection laws [7]