Coinbase wins full US federal trust bank charter from the OCC

What happened. In a Coinbase blog post on November 9, Rick Schonberg, head of prime trading and custody, wrote that the OCC approved the charter for Coinbase National Trust Company last Friday. The OCC is the US federal regulator of national banks. CoinDesk says the company got conditional approval in April 2026, then spent months building compliance systems, hiring and going through review.

What the charter allows. This is a national trust bank. CoinDesk explains that it can offer federally supervised custody and payments services, but it does not act as a full bank: no deposits and no loans. Coinbase says the charter lets it grow its custody business under one federal framework.

What came before. Coinbase has held a New York BitLicense since 2017, and its Coinbase Custody Trust Company has had a New York limited purpose trust charter since 2018. The company says it builds on that work with the NYDFS regulator.

Context. Ripple won a full OCC trust bank charter in October. American Banker says the OCC has approved or conditionally approved nearly two dozen such charters in the second Trump administration, more than a dozen of them for crypto firms. Meanwhile the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) has sued the OCC, arguing it oversteps its authority by granting these charters to crypto companies.

Hechos confirmados

• The OCC gave final approval on Friday, November 6, 2026, to charter Coinbase National Trust Company; Coinbase announced it on November 9.^[1][2][3]
• The company received conditional OCC approval in April 2026.^[2]
• The charter allows federally supervised custody and payments services, but not taking deposits or making loans like a full bank.^[2]
• Coinbase has held a New York BitLicense since 2017, and Coinbase Custody Trust Company has had a New York limited purpose trust charter since 2018.^[1]
• Ripple received a full OCC trust bank charter in October 2026.^[2]
• The OCC has approved or conditionally approved nearly two dozen national trust bank charters in the second Trump administration, more than a dozen of them for crypto firms.^[3]
• The ICBA has sued the OCC over granting trust charters to crypto firms.^[2]

Implicaciones

• ConfirmadoCoinbase's institutional crypto custody now runs under federal bank supervision.
• Nuestra lecturaFunds and banks that need a federally chartered custodian may find Coinbase an easier pick. This is our reading.
• Nuestra lecturaIf the ICBA wins in court, crypto firms' trust charters could be put in doubt. This is our reading.

Todavía no se sabe

• Which services and clients Coinbase will move into the new trust company, and when
• How the ICBA lawsuit against the OCC ends
• Whether Coinbase will use the trust bank for stablecoins or reserves

A quién afecta

United States. People who keep crypto on exchanges, follow COIN stock or US crypto rules

Fuentes

1. Coinbase: Coinbase launches National Trust Company with federally regulated, institutional-grade custody offering 9 de noviembre de 2026 · oficial
2. CoinDesk: Coinbase gets full U.S. trust charter from federal banking regulator 9 de noviembre de 2026 · medios
3. American Banker: Coinbase gets final OCC charter approval 9 de noviembre de 2026 · medios