Coinbase’s national trust bank charter took effect on Friday, the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) confirmed. The regulatory approval allows Coinbase National Trust Company to hold digital assets on behalf of clients as a fiduciary.
The OCC’s filing record shows that Coinbase applied for the charter in October 2025 and received preliminary approval in April 2026. The final activation follows the six-month interim period after the initial regulatory green light.
Planned institutional services
According to its charter application, Coinbase plans to offer institutional clients segregated custody accounts with access to staking, financing and trading through other Coinbase entities. The application also outlined plans to explore digital asset payment products and custody services that would allow clients to interact with select smart contracts.
Peer approvals
Coinbase joins several other cryptocurrency firms that have secured OCC national trust bank charters, including Ripple, Circle, BitGo, Fidelity Digital Assets and Paxos. Crypto.com and Stripe-owned Bridge have received conditional approval for similar charters, while Kraken and EDX Markets are still pursuing their applications.
