Ripple, Circle and others receive conditional approval for US banking charter

The US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) announced on Friday that it has conditionally approved national bank trust charters for several digital asset firms.

Ripple and Circle received the approval for their respective entities, Ripple National Trust Bank and First National Digital Currency Bank. Meanwhile, BitGo Bank and Trust, Fidelity Digital Assets, and Paxos Trust Company received conditional approval to convert from state trust companies to national trust banks. The companies will gain full approval after "meeting the OCC's conditions."

A national bank trust charter enables these firms to operate as regulated banks that hold clients' assets, but they cannot accept cash deposits or engage in lending.

"New entrants into the federal banking sector are good for consumers, the banking industry and the economy," said Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan V. Gould.

BitGo gets full approval, now a federally chartered bank

BitGo confirmed a few hours after the announcement that it had met the OCC's conditions for full approval and is now a federally chartered bank. Prior to the announcement, Anchorage Digital was the only crypto firm with a national bank charter.

"Regulators are responsibly bringing digital asset companies into the financial system to unlock new assets, new markets, and 24x7 global payments," wrote BitGo CEO and cofounder Mike Belshe in a Friday X post.

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse also praised the move, calling it a "massive step forward," for the firm's RLUSD stablecoin, which will now have federal and state oversight.

The move comes as the crypto industry has experienced a soft regulatory environment under President Donald Trump's administration. The passage of the GENIUS Act for stablecoin regulation this year marked a key milestone for crypto firms.