Coinbase Gets Conditional OCC Approval for a National Trust Charter
Coinbase received conditional OCC approval in April 2026 to charter Coinbase National Trust Company, bringing federal oversight to its custody business.
Coinbase announced on April 2, 2026 that the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) had given conditional approval to charter Coinbase National Trust Company.
What the charter is for
Greg Tusar, Co-CEO of Coinbase Institutional, wrote that the charter brings federal oversight to Coinbase's custody and market infrastructure business. An OCC trust charter covers the safekeeping of client assets, and Coinbase said it would create a base for new products such as payments.
Coinbase was also clear about what the charter does not mean:
State licenses stay in place
Coinbase, Inc. will continue to operate under the New York Department of Financial Services. Its BitLicense, which it has held since 2015, and its New York state trust charter remain in place.
Next steps
Conditional approval means Coinbase must meet the OCC's conditions before the national trust company can open. Coinbase said it would work with OCC staff to do so. Several other crypto companies applied for OCC trust charters over the same period, and Kraken's parent Payward filed its own application in May 2026.
Source: Official exchange announcement
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