Crypto.com aims to operate under federal supervision in the United States, as it announced today (Tuesday) that it has received conditional approval for a trust bank charter from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).
Breaking the State Barrier to Streamline Services
Upon receiving full approval, the crypto exchange will be able to offer services, including custody, staking of assets across various blockchains and digital asset protocols, and trade settlement, directly under federal supervision.
Notably, the OCC does not charter “exchanges” as such; it charters banks (including trust banks) that may sit within a broader crypto group that also runs an exchange or trading venue.
“This milestone brings us a major step closer to meeting leading institutions’ needs for a one-stop-shop qualified custodian under a gold standard of federal oversight,” said Kris Marszalek, Co-Founder and CEO of Crypto.com.
The company now needs to satisfy capital, governance, compliance and risk management conditions before receiving final OCC authorisation.
The crypto exchange further stressed that, despite receiving conditional OCC approval, it will continue to offer custody services under its New Hampshire-regulated entity.
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Is the Federal Banking Charter the Next Step for Crypto Giants?
Meanwhile, several other crypto companies have followed the same path to come under federal supervision in the US. Circle, Ripple, Paxos and a few others have also received conditional approval for a national bank charter. Crypto.com, however, is the only major retail-focused platform on the list, although it also has a significant presence in the institutional market.
All these crypto platforms, including Crypto.com, appear to be simplifying crypto custody across different state regulations by obtaining a national bank charter.
Meanwhile, Crypto.com is also entering other growing markets. It recently launched a standalone prediction markets platform. The app went live after six months of rapid expansion in Crypto.com’s prediction markets business, which grew 40 times week on week during that period.
This article was written by Arnab Shome at www.financemagnates.com.
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