- The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has issued final approval for Ripple National Trust Bank, enabling the firm to extend payment, stablecoin, custody, and other blockchain-based services across federal banking infrastructure.
The U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has granted final authorization to Ripple, a prominent blockchain infrastructure and cross-border payments provider, to operate a national trust bank. This authorization allows the company to deliver its products and services under direct federal banking supervision, establishing it as a fully regulated financial institution.
Implications of the OCC’s Final Approval for Ripple
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse stated that the achievement provides the company with a federally supervised platform to support Ripple USD (RLUSD), a stablecoin fully backed and pegged one-to-one to the U.S. dollar. It also enhances the firm’s enterprise digital asset custody capabilities.
Garlinghouse characterized the decision as confirmation of his longstanding view that cryptocurrency and traditional banking are more effective when integrated. The Ripple National Trust Bank (RNTB) represents a new benchmark, uniting genuine innovation with rigorous accountability under federal oversight.
The Ripple chief executive added that the development demonstrates the digital finance transformation is occurring from within the established financial system rather than outside it.
Next Steps for Ripple National Trust Bank
This milestone follows the OCC’s conditional approval for RNTB in December 2025 and concludes the institution’s formal organizational process. The sole remaining step is for Ripple to open the national trust bank, though no launch timeline has been announced.
With regulatory clearance secured, Ripple intends to continue issuing RLUSD through Standard Custody & Trust Company (SCTC), its New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS)-regulated limited purpose trust entity. Drawing on its national bank charter, RNTB will oversee the segregated reserves backing RLUSD, serving as collateral trustee for stablecoin holders while delivering fiduciary digital asset custody services. This capability will allow Ripple to deepen the integration of its digital asset solutions, including XRP Ledger (XRPL)-powered services, across payments, trading, and treasury infrastructure.
Ripple said it will maintain close coordination with the OCC, NYDFS, and other regulatory bodies as it prepares to launch RNTB. The company also emphasized that the institution’s operations will align with the regulatory framework set forth by the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump in July.
“A national trust charter provides an even stronger foundation for RLUSD and the institutional products we are developing across payments, custody, and capital markets,” Garlinghouse said.
