U.S. Regulator Advocates for Crypto Trust Charters Amid Resistance from Traditional Banks
On December 8, 2025, Comptroller Jonathan Gould addressed a Blockchain Association policy summit in Washington, urging the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to embrace digital assets and resist pressure from traditional banks opposing the rise of crypto-focused trust banks.
In the past year, up to 14 companies—including crypto and fintech firms—have applied for de novo bank charters, signaling renewed interest after a prior slowdown. Among these, Erebor Crypto Bank received a provisional charter last month, becoming the first under Gould's leadership, while Anchorage Digital remains the only OCC-licensed crypto bank prior to this.
Gould highlighted that there is no justification for treating digital assets differently than traditional banking technologies and cautioned against confining banks to legacy systems. The OCC regularly hears from national banks about innovative products and aims to supervise new entrants and existing banks fairly and evenly.
In collaboration with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the OCC is preparing rules to remove perceived "reputation risk" from supervisory regulations related to crypto activities. Gould also noted the agency's review of banks' debanking practices that sever services to crypto businesses and executives, emphasizing the need for the financial system to evolve from the telegraph age to the blockchain era.
