Coinbase just cleared a major regulatory hurdle, while several other crypto firms are lining up for their own federal trust bank charters.
Coinbase has secured full approval for its national trust bank charter as the biggest US crypto exchange moves beyond the conditional status it received earlier this year.
The US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has signed off on the Coinbase National Trust, allowing the exchange to operate under a fully approved federal trust charter.
Firms Line Up for Bank Charters
The company received provisional approval in April, which opened the door to federally regulated custody and payment services, but did not allow it to take customer deposits or issue loans like a traditional bank. Coinbase said it spent the following months building compliance systems, hiring the required staff, and going through regulatory reviews before receiving the final approval.
The latest development also puts Coinbase alongside Ripple, which secured full OCC approval last month for its own national trust bank charter, following conditional clearance in December 2025. Ripple had initially applied in July 2025.
More and more firms are moving to bring their services under US banking regulations. The trend has picked up following the passage of the GENIUS Act. Under President Donald Trump, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has also shown greater openness toward crypto businesses and stablecoin providers, including granting conditional trust status to World Liberty Financial, linked to Trump’s family.
Circle Internet Group has already received final approval to use the federal framework for its USDC stablecoin operations. Several other major players are still working through the process.
For instance, Stripe-owned Bridge received conditional approval to establish a national trust bank for its USDB stablecoin, reserve management, and digital asset custody services. Crypto.com also secured conditional approval for its national trust bank, covering custody, staking, and trade settlements. Paxos, BitGo, and Fidelity Digital Assets have received similar preliminary conditional grants.
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Approvals Spark Lawsuit
The growing number of clearances drew significant pushback from the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA), which recently filed a lawsuit against the OCC. The dispute centers on an OCC rule published in March 2026, which clarified that national trust banks can also carry out certain non-fiduciary activities.
ICBA President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey said that Congress never intended these charters to become a shortcut for crypto firms to gain the credibility of a federal banking license without meeting the same requirements as traditional banks.
These include FDIC insurance, Community Reinvestment Act obligations, and stricter capital and liquidity rules. The group believes the OCC’s approach gives crypto companies an unfair advantage while avoiding important banking requirements. Through the lawsuit, ICBA urged a federal court in Washington, DC, to strike down the OCC’s final rule and related Interpretive Letter N1176.