PANews reported on May 9th that, according to Cryptopolitan, since December 2025, more than 12 crypto and fintech companies have applied for or received national trust bank licenses from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, including Coinbase, Ripple, Circle, BitGo, as well as Morgan Stanley and Fidelity Digital Assets. Kraken's parent company, Payward, also submitted an application on May 9th to establish Payward National Trust Company, providing bank-grade crypto custody and trust services to institutional and individual clients.

The OCC Comptroller General stated that new entry into the federal banking sector is beneficial to consumers, the banking industry, and the economy, and the OCC will continue to provide pathways for both traditional and innovative financial services. National Trust Bank licenses allow companies to manage assets under a single federal regulatory body, reducing reliance on external banking partners. However, most companies are still in the conditional approval stage, with only Anchorage Digital Bank being the only fully operational National Trust Bank. Another major unresolved issue is access to the Federal Reserve's payment infrastructure; Federal Reserve governors have stated they are exploring simplifying account structures, but a formal framework has not yet been established.