Bridge has obtained conditional approval from the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to establish a federally chartered national trust bank.
Following this announcement, Bridge received conditional authorization from the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) for setting up a federally chartered national trust bank. This step would place its stablecoin activities under direct federal supervision.
While the approval is contingent upon final OCC endorsement and adherence to relevant regulatory standards, once fully licensed, Bridge will operate as Bridge National Trust Bank. It will be permitted to provide digital asset storage, stablecoin issuance and management, as well as stablecoin reserve handling for business customers.
Federal framework supporting stablecoin operations
As outlined in the official press release, under a national trust bank charter, Bridge will operate with a single federal license, eliminating the necessity for state-level money transmitter permits. The company asserts that its compliance protocol is consistent with the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act—the federal stablecoin legislation designed to establish regulatory guidelines for digital dollar issuance. Bridge believes that obtaining such a charter will provide necessary regulatory certainty for developing large-scale stablecoin-related products.
Bridge views stablecoins as foundational infrastructure beyond mere payment services, including global settlement, treasury management, cross-border transactions, and tokenized asset markets. The charter aims to support enterprises, fintechs, crypto businesses, and financial institutions in deploying digital dollar solutions within a regulated federal framework.
Bridge’s application for the charter was submitted to the OCC in October 2025. No official timeline has been published by the OCC for granting final approval.
Industry context and concerns
This wave of conditional approvals represents a broader trend among digital asset firms toward federal oversight, as opposed to state-by-state authorizations. However, traditional banking organizations have expressed reservations. The Bank Policy Institute raised worries in October 2025 about whether these applications genuinely seek to operate as trust companies and highlighted potential untested risks posed to the U.S. financial system. Additionally, the American Bankers Association has pointed out ambiguities within key regulatory provisions of the GENIUS Act for newly established entities.
The OCC views recent increases in charter applications as aligned with historical norms and will require Bridge to meet all remaining conditions before operations can commence under the federal charter.
