News linked to both this project and an event.
According to The Block, Jack Dorsey-founded payment company Block has submitted an application to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to establish an uninsured national trust bank named Builders Bank & Trust, N.A. If approved, the bank would provide custody and other trust services, covering Bitcoin and stablecoins. Block stated that this federal charter will establish a federal regulatory framework for some of its custody and related businesses.
Odaily News, Circle has published a statement on the cirBTC reserve mechanism, stating that each cirBTC is backed 1:1 by one native BTC and can be redeemed for native BTC at a 1:1 ratio. The corresponding BTC is held by Circle-affiliated entities and custodied by Circle National Trust, which is regulated by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). The reserve assets are segregated from Circle's corporate assets and are used solely to protect the interests of cirBTC holders. cirBTC is currently live on Ethereum and will receive native support once the Arc mainnet launches, with future expansion to more blockchains. Circle also provides on-chain reserve verification through a public BTC reserve address and the Chainlink Proof of Reserve mechanism, allowing market participants to compare the scale of reserved BTC against the circulating supply of cirBTC across all supported chains.
Odaily News: Blockchain-native fintech startup OpenReserve received preliminary conditional approval from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) on September 2 to establish a full-service national bank in Salt Lake City, Utah. The approval process took less than five months, with OpenReserve submitting its application on April 13.OpenReserve must raise at least $210 million in initial paid-in capital within 12 months and maintain a minimum Tier 1 leverage ratio of 12% for three years after opening. It must also commence operations within 18 months, or the approval will lapse. The relevant deadlines are September 2027 and March 2028, respectively.OpenReserve plans to offer tokenized deposits, treasury management, foreign correspondent banking, and Banking-as-a-Service for institutional clients. The full-service national bank charter, upon final approval, would allow it to accept deposits and conduct lending activities.OpenReserve previously completed a $25 million seed funding round led by a16z crypto, with participation from Coinbase Ventures, Jump Capital, and Wintermute Ventures, among others. The company plans to establish a wholly-owned subsidiary to issue and redeem dollar-denominated, reserve-backed stablecoins, but that subsidiary has not yet filed an application with the OCC. (Decrypt)
According to reporter Eleanor Terrett (@EleanorTerrett), the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) are advancing a rulemaking proposal to clarify the definition of "unsafe or unsound practices" in bank regulation. The term has long lacked a precise definition, granting examiners broad discretion. The new rule will require regulators to tie such determinations to actual violations or significant financial risks, preventing them from pressuring banks under vague reputational or procedural grounds to deny service to legitimate customers, including crypto businesses.
Odaily News: Fox Business crypto reporter stated on the X platform that the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation are advancing toward finalizing a rule to define "unsafe or unsound practices" in bank regulation. The term has remained loosely defined for years, relying largely on the broad discretion of bank examiners. Under the rule, regulators must tie determinations that a practice is "unsafe or unsound" to actual violations of law or significant financial risk, thereby reducing the likelihood of pressuring banks—including those serving legitimate clients such as crypto companies—over vague reputational or procedural concerns. The rule marks another important step toward dismantling "Operation Choke Point 2.0."
Crypto infrastructure provider ZeroHash has submitted its second application for a national trust bank charter to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). Its first application, filed in March, was returned in July. This new submission aims to resolve compliance and custody pain points by securing a licensed status.
According to Chaoxiang Research, Goldman Sachs' research report dated August 24, 2026, indicates that cryptocurrency trading volume fell 30% in July and 21% in August, declining for 10 consecutive months, a duration that exceeded the median of the previous five cycles. Trading volume in this cycle has dropped 75% from its peak, while cryptocurrency market capitalization rebounded 21% over the past week. Goldman Sachs suggests a turning point in trading volume may emerge if market cap remains at current levels. On the regulatory front, 35% of institutional investors cite regulatory uncertainty as the biggest hurdle, while 32% identify regulatory clarity as the primary catalyst. The SEC recently proposed an innovation exemption framework. In 2026, over 10 additional digital asset companies received bank charters from the OCC, and more than 15 crypto firms have already been incorporated into the federal banking system. Crypto companies reduced expenses by an average of approximately 5% in 2026, lifting operating margins by roughly 5.8 percentage points. Goldman Sachs remains cautiously optimistic for the second half of the year, with sector valuations currently positioned at the 30th percentile over a five-year period. Key recommendations include COIN (target price $196), HOOD ($124), IBKR ($114, featured on Goldman Sachs' Conviction List US), and FIGR ($43). The investment logic diverges across the three sectors: traditional brokerages are poised for a September reversal, prediction markets are driven by the election cycle, and crypto equities benefit from a triple catalyst of market cap recovery, cost reductions, and regulatory reform.
According to Bloomberg, the Trump family-backed cryptocurrency project World Liberty Financial has received preliminary conditional approval from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) for a national trust bank charter, with plans to establish World Liberty Trust Company. Upon final approval, the institution will be able to directly issue and redeem the stablecoin USD1, manage its reserve assets, and provide digital asset custody services.
Jonathan Gould, head of the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, stated that the OCC will release the final implementing rules for the GENIUS Act in November, which establishes a regulatory framework for payment stablecoins and is scheduled to take effect in January 2027.
The U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency conditionally approved World Liberty Financial's trust license application. Ten Democratic senators signed a bill to prevent corruption in bank applications.
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has conditionally approved World Liberty Financial's application for a national trust bank charter, subject to regulatory and policy requirements. Upon approval, the company may operate under the name World Liberty Trust Company, National Association. World Liberty Financial's application documents show that the bank plans to issue USD-backed stablecoins and custody digital assets related to its USD1 token. U.S. President Donald Trump and his three sons are all affiliated with the company, with Trump family entities holding a 38% stake. Senator Elizabeth Warren, along with nine other senators, introduced the Terminating Presidential Banking Corruption Act following the approval. Elizabeth Warren stated that the OCC's move represents one of the most blatant conflicts of interest in the U.S. financial system. In January 2025, an Abu Dhabi investment company backed by UAE National Security Advisor Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan purchased a 49% stake in World Liberty for $500 million. Another UAE entity, MGX, previously used USD1 to invest $2 billion in Binance. (Cointelegraph)
Odaily News The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) on Friday granted initial conditional approval to World Liberty Trust Company, National Association, bringing Trump-backed World Liberty Financial one step closer to obtaining a national trust bank charter.In its letter, the OCC stated that World Liberty's charter application met certain regulatory and policy requirements, leading to the initial conditional approval. However, this does not constitute final approval, and the OCC may still rescind the approval.Earlier this year, World Liberty Financial established a new trust company with the aim of applying for a bank charter from the OCC. The company has previously stated that the charter would support its provision of services including stablecoin issuance and redemption, fiat on/off ramps, custody, and exchange. WLF currently issues the stablecoin USD1, which has a market cap of approximately $4 billion, making it the fourth-largest stablecoin after Tether and USDC.WLF CEO Zack Witkoff said on X on Friday that the company aims to build "the world's most trusted and widely used digital dollar" while strengthening the dollar's role in the global economy. Zack Witkoff is the son of Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. Overall, this approval could further strengthen WLF's position in the U.S. stablecoin and digital asset banking infrastructure, though its political ties may continue to raise regulatory and ethical concerns.
Morgan Stanley partner Zerohash's trust bank charter application submitted to the OCC was returned due to "substantial deficiencies," and the company plans to resubmit a narrower application this month.
: Bitcoin News posted on the X platform that the OCC stated companies engaged in legally permitted activities such as digital assets and emerging technologies should have a pathway to apply for national bank charters. OCC Acting Comptroller Jonathan Gould said regulators had effectively blocked new bank applications for over a decade, but that period has now ended. The OCC has received 40 new bank applications over the past 18 months and noted that many complete applications have been decided within 120 days.
Crypto.com Custody has announced it will provide institutional-grade custody and liquidity services for XYO and XL1. This marks the first listing on a major trading platform for XL1 following its token sale, allowing qualified institutions and high-net-worth clients to store, manage, and exchange both tokens through a regulated pathway. Related assets will be held in client-segregated MPC wallets and held by bankruptcy-remote entities. Private keys are protected by multi-party computation running within a trusted execution environment. Clients have access to cold storage, audit trails, and Crypto.com’s institutional liquidity services. Eric Anziani, President and Chief Operating Officer of Crypto.com, stated that digital asset organizations require custody solutions that offer both security and liquidity. Markus Levin, co-founder of XYO, noted that after XYO was initially listed on the Crypto.com trading platform, the relationship between the two parties has continued to expand. In July 2026, Citadel Securities invested $400 million in Crypto.com at a valuation of $20 billion. In February 2026, the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) conditionally approved Crypto.com to establish Crypto.com National Trust Bank.
According to The Block, Mizuho Bank analysts noted that while Circle's approval from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to establish a national trust bank helps enhance its compliance credibility, it is insufficient to resolve current core pressures—the continued shrinkage of USDC market cap and increasingly fierce competition from Open USD—which still constitute a significant drag on $CRCL stock price.
stablecoin issuer Circle Internet Group has received approval from the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to establish a national digital currency trust bank, aiming to further expand its stablecoin business scope. Circle stated that the OCC has approved the creation of an entity to be named "Circle National Trust." The institution will operate under the federal trust bank regulatory framework, providing clients with institutional-grade services including digital asset custody.This approval means that Circle will further enter the regulated digital asset custody sector beyond its USDC issuance and payment operations, consolidating its regulatory system through a single federal trust charter. Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire has repeatedly emphasized that stablecoins are becoming key infrastructure connecting traditional finance with the on-chain economy. The acquisition of this bank charter is seen by the market as a significant step in the stablecoin company's transformation into a financial infrastructure provider. (Bloomberg)
According to official sources, Circle announced that it has received final approval from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to establish the national trust bank Circle National Trust. The institution will initially provide digital asset custody services for Circle and its affiliates, and may open to selected institutional clients in the future based on demand.
EDX Markets, an institutional digital asset trading platform, announced the completion of a $76 million Series C funding round, led by Japan's major financial group SBI Holdings. The company stated that the proceeds from this round will be used to upgrade its trading, clearing, and settlement infrastructure, accelerate product iteration, and promote the scaled rollout of global institutional services.Previously, EDX had launched EDX FlowConnect, empowering enterprises to compliantly launch digital asset trading services. Additionally, the platform has submitted an application to the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to establish EDX Trust, aiming to build a federally regulated digital asset custody, clearing, settlement, and risk management system. (Prnewswire)
According to CoinDesk, Tanya Denisova, former Chief Operating Officer of Robinhood Crypto, has officially joined stablecoin infrastructure company Agora as Head of Operations. She will also serve as Chief Operating Officer of Agora’s proposed national trust bank—a role that will take effect upon approval by the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) of Agora’s application for a national trust charter. Denisova spent six years at Robinhood Crypto, leading the department’s expansion from a team of three to a multi-billion-dollar business operating regulated entities in both the United States and the European Union. Her responsibilities spanned core areas including settlement, liquidity, trading, execution quality, and custody.