The Federal Reserve has issued a request for comment and proposed rulemaking for "skinny master accounts," which would enable eligible fintech and crypto firms to access the Fed's payments system for clearing and settlement. This step follows the public comment period on the proposal that ended in February and is part of Governor Waller's payment account implementation process. Additionally, the Fed has advised Federal Reserve Banks to temporarily pause decisions on new "Tier 3" master account access requests, which include most crypto firms, until December 2026. This pause aims to ensure consistency across the system as the framework is finalized.