Ripple has received final approval from the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) for its national trust bank. The decision marks a major regulatory milestone for the cryptocurrency company and strengthens its position in the US digital asset industry.
The approval completes the chartering process for Ripple National Trust Bank (RNTB), following the conditional authorization granted by the OCC in December 2025.
Ripple Expands RLUSD Reserve Management and Custody Services
Under its new federal charter, Ripple National Trust Bank can manage the reserves supporting Ripple USD (RLUSD), the company’s stablecoin.
Additionally, the institution can serve as a collateral trustee on behalf of RLUSD holders and provide digital asset custody services.
However, RLUSD issuance will remain under Standard Custody & Trust Company, Ripple’s limited-purpose trust company supervised by the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS).
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse welcomed the development in a Monday post on X. He emphasized that cooperation between cryptocurrency companies and traditional banks can encourage innovation while maintaining accountability and federal regulatory oversight.
Ripple Joins Circle in Securing Final OCC Approval
Ripple’s achievement follows a similar regulatory milestone for Circle, which obtained final OCC approval in July 2026.
Meanwhile, several other major cryptocurrency companies are still awaiting full authorization.
Coinbase received conditional approval in April, while Crypto.com and Stripe-owned Bridge secured preliminary approvals in February.
These developments highlight the growing interest among digital asset companies in operating within the US federal banking regulatory framework.
How National Trust Banks Differ From Traditional Banks
A national trust bank is a federally chartered financial institution primarily responsible for safeguarding, administering and managing assets on behalf of clients.
Unlike conventional commercial banks, most national trust banks do not accept customer deposits or provide traditional lending services.
Furthermore, these institutions generally do not offer Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) deposit insurance, according to the OCC.
For Ripple, the approval establishes a federally supervised framework for its trust banking operations, particularly in stablecoin reserve management and digital asset custody.
