US cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has revealed it is applying for a National Trust Company Charter from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) as it looks to expand its range of products and services.
The new charter would “continue to open up opportunities for Coinbase to launch new products beyond custody, including payments and related services, with the confidence of regulatory clarity, fostering broader institutional adoption”, writes Greg Tusar, Coinbase’s VP of institutional product, in a recent blog post.
In June 2025, Coinbase launched Coinbase Payments, a stablecoin payments stack designed for commerce platforms. The service enables instant, 24/7 USDC transactions for online businesses and has already been adopted by digital retail giant Shopify.
Despite seeking the federal charter, Tusar states that the company “has no intention of becoming a bank”, adding: “It is our firm belief that clear rules and the trust of our regulators and customers enable Coinbase to confidently innovate while ensuring proper oversight and security.”
“Coinbase has long sought uniform rules and regulations for crypto. While progress is underway in Congress to craft clear market structure, crypto is already woven into the fabric of the financial system. An OCC charter will streamline oversight for new offerings and enable continued innovation to integrate digital assets into traditional finance,” Tusar says.
Coinbase, which has been operating under New York’s BitLicense framework since 2015, also secured a Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) licence from Luxembourg’s Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF) in June, allowing it to offer its complete range of crypto products across all 27 EU member states.
Source: https://www.fintechfutures.com/
