Zero

Real

Test

Liberty

Bank

<p><a href="https://www.occ.gov/news-issuances/news-releases/2026/nr-occ-2026-67.html" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Comptroller Jonathan Gould said</a> firms engaged in legally permissible activities, including “digital assets and other novel technologies,” should have a path to becoming a national bank, adding: “America and the OCC are once again open for business.”</p><p>The statement does not automatically approve crypto companies as banks. Applicants still have to pass the OCC’s <a href="https://www.occ.gov/topics/charters-and-licensing/index-charters-licensing.html" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">normal chartering review</a>, including scrutiny of management, capital, business plans, compliance and financial risk.</p><h2 id="key-takeaways">Key Takeaways</h2><div class="light-yellow-block"><ul><li><strong>Crypto firms can apply for federal bank charters.</strong></li><li><strong>Applications still face full regulatory review.</strong></li><li><strong>Trust banks and insured deposit-taking banks follow different paths.</strong></li><li><strong>Digital-asset companies are already in the OCC pipeline.</strong></li></ul></div><h2 id="crypto-firms-are-already-in-the-charter-pipeline">Crypto Firms Are Already in the Charter Pipeline</h2><p>Gould’s comments arrive with a growing digital-asset licensing queue already visible at the OCC.</p><p>The regulator’s <a href="https://www.occ.gov/topics/charters-and-licensing/digital-assets-licensing-applications/index-digital-assets-licensing-applications.html" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">digital-assets licensing database</a> tracks applicants planning to offer digital-asset products or services, including crypto-assets.</p><div style="font-family: sans-serif; width: 100%; max-width: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 24px 0;"><div style="background: linear-gradient(135deg, #f8fafc 0%, #f1f5f9 100%); border: 1px solid #cbd5e1; border-radius: 14px; padding: 22px; box-shadow: 0 10px 15px -3px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.05);"><div style="text-align: center; margin-bottom: 16px;"><p><span style="background: #2563eb; color: #ffffff; font-weight: 800; font-size: 10px; padding: 4px 10px; border-radius: 6px; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.8px;">Regulatory Tracker</span></p><h4 style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; color: #0f172a; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">OCC Crypto Trust Bank Pipeline</h4></div><div style="display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 12px;"><div style="flex: 1; min-width: 260px; background: #ffffff; border-left: 4px solid #10b981; border-radius: 8px; padding: 14px; box-shadow: 0 2px 4px rgba(0,0,0,0.02);"><div style="font-weight: bold; color: #047857; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 8px; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> Recent Approvals </div><div style="font-size: 12px; color: #475569; line-height: 1.5;"> Ripple National Trust Bank, First National Digital Currency Bank, BitGo, Fidelity Digital Assets, Paxos, and Coinbase National Trust Company. </div></div><div style="flex: 1; min-width: 260px; background: #ffffff; border-left: 4px solid #3b82f6; border-radius: 8px; padding: 14px; box-shadow: 0 2px 4px rgba(0,0,0,0.02);"><div style="font-weight: bold; color: #1d4ed8; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 8px; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> Current Applicants </div><div style="font-size: 12px; color: #475569; line-height: 1.5;"> Dakota, Catena, Payward, Agora, OpenReserve, Bastion, EDX Trust, Revolut Bank US, PAYO Digital Bank, and World Liberty Trust Company. </div></div></div></div></div><p>Zero Hash provides another example of the demand for federal status. As <a href="https://coindoo.com/zero-hash-moves-to-secure-federal-banking-charter-for-digital-asset-operations/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Coindoo reported in March</a>, the company applied for a national trust bank charter covering services including digital-asset custody, staking, transfers and stablecoin-related activity.</p><p>Crypto is only one part of the broader charter revival. The OCC says it has received <strong>40 de novo applications over the past 18 months</strong> and, in many cases, reached decisions within 120 days after receiving a complete application.</p><h2 id="a-national-trust-bank-is-not-a-full-service-bank">A National Trust Bank Is Not a Full-Service Bank</h2><p>Many crypto firms seeking federal banking status are not trying to become conventional banks that take retail deposits and make ordinary loans.</p><p>National trust banks offer a narrower route centered on permitted trust-company activities such as custody and related financial services. The OCC’s <a href="https://www.occ.gov/news-issuances/bulletins/2026/bulletin-2026-4.html" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">2026 final trust-bank rule</a> confirmed that national banks limited to trust-company operations may also conduct qualifying non-fiduciary activities without expanding the OCC’s underlying chartering authority.</p><p>Coinbase shows what that looks like in practice. As <a href="https://coindoo.com/coinbase-just-got-a-federal-banking-charter-heres-what-that-actually-means/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Coindoo explained following its conditional approval</a>, a national trust charter can bring custody and related activities under an OCC federal charter without turning the company into a conventional deposit-taking bank.</p><h2 id="where-the-fdic-fits-in">Where the FDIC Fits In</h2><p>The regulatory path changes when insured deposits enter the picture.</p><p>The OCC grants national bank charters, while the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation separately decides whether an institution qualifies for federal deposit insurance. The <a href="https://www.fdic.gov/bank-examinations/applications-deposit-insurance" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">FDIC reviews applications</a> based on factors including capital, management, the business plan and potential risk to the Deposit Insurance Fund.</p><p>The new OCC announcement specifically praises the FDIC’s effort to make that process clearer for new banks. Chairman Travis Hill has also said the agency wants to encourage de novo formation and approach innovative business models with an open mind while keeping the statutory standards for insured institutions intact.</p><div class="light-yellow-block"><ul><li><strong>A national trust charter</strong> can support permitted custody and trust activities without necessarily involving insured deposits.</li><li><strong>An insured deposit-taking national bank</strong> must obtain its OCC charter and separately satisfy the FDIC’s deposit-insurance process.</li></ul></div><p>The FDIC changes are therefore most directly relevant to digital-asset applicants that plan to take federally insured deposits.</p><h2 id="crypto-is-no-longer-supposed-to-fail-the-test-before-it-starts">Crypto Is No Longer Supposed to Fail the Test Before It Starts</h2><p>Federal supervisors are also moving away from using reputation risk to restrict relationships with lawful businesses.</p><p>The OCC and FDIC have removed reputation risk as a basis for adverse supervisory action, shifting the focus toward identifiable financial, operational and compliance risks instead of whether a business is politically controversial.</p><p>Digital-asset applicants still have to demonstrate competent management, adequate financial resources and controls capable of handling sanctions, money laundering, cybersecurity and operational risks.</p><p>For crypto, the practical change is straightforward: exposure to digital assets should trigger a risk assessment, not an automatic stop sign.</p><div class="read-more pb-3 pt-3 pt-md-2 px-3 my-4 border bg-light"><h5 class="text-uppercase border-bottom mb-3 pb-1 d-none d-md-block">READ MORE:</h5><a class="article row text-decoration-none" href="https://coindoo.com/us-cpi-falls-what-crypto-faces-next/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"><div class="contentRight col-4"><span class="imgContainer mt-0"><img class="image img-defer" src="https://coindoo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/usa-img012945914.jpg"></span></div><div class="contentLeft col-8"><h4 class="title mb-0">US CPI Falls to 3.4%: What Crypto Investors Face Next</h4></div></a></div><h2 id="federal-banking-is-becoming-a-real-option-for-crypto">Federal Banking Is Becoming a Real Option for Crypto</h2><p>Many U.S. crypto businesses have historically operated through combinations of state money-transmission licences, state trust charters and specialist regulatory regimes.</p><p>A national charter offers a different route: an OCC federal charter and a framework for bringing permitted activities such as custody, settlement and related financial services into the national banking system.</p><p>The trade-off is heavier supervision. Firms choosing that path accept bank-level regulatory scrutiny in exchange for operating within an established federal structure.</p><p>The growing application queue shows that some of the industry’s largest infrastructure providers consider that worthwhile. Gould’s “open for business” message now has a measurable test: which of those applicants can satisfy the OCC’s standards and make it through the charter process.</p><div class="light-yellow-block"><ul><li><strong>Disclaimer:</strong> This article is for informational and educational purposes only. A federal bank charter is not guaranteed for any crypto firm, and applicants remain subject to OCC review, applicable banking laws, and separate FDIC requirements where insured deposits are involved.</li></ul></div><p>The post <a href="https://coindoo.com/us-regulator-opens-bank-charter-crypto-firms/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">US Banking Regulator Opens Bank Charter Path to Crypto Firms</a> appeared first on <a href="https://coindoo.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Coindoo</a>.</p>

US Banking Regulator Opens Bank Charter Path to Crypto Firms

Table of Contents

Coindoo.com

Other articles published on Aug 12, 2026

Wintermute is betting big on AI Infrastructure

eToro Reports Sharp Decline In Crypto Activity

Is Robinhood Chain's Growth Hiding a User Problem?

Polygon powers Bank of England's Stablecoin & CBDC pilot

Stock Market Today: S&P 500 Rises as Nvidia & AI Stocks Rally, Dow Jones Lags

Goldman Sachs to acquire NEOS in $2.25B ETF deal

Join our free newsletter for daily crypto updates!