Coinbase wins a federal trust charter and will move its institutional crypto custody under the OCC, as a community bank group challenges the OCC's crypto charters in court

Coinbase now has a national trust charter. Its new subsidiary, Coinbase National Trust Company, completed the chartering process at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency on Friday, according to OCC licensing records cited by crypto.news, and Coinbase announced it on Monday. The exchange applied in October 2025 and won conditional approval in April 2026.

The charter puts Coinbase's institutional custody business under one federal supervisor. Today that business runs through Coinbase Custody Trust Company, which is overseen by New York's financial regulator, and Coinbase plans to shift it to the national company gradually over about three years. Staking, trading and financing stay with other Coinbase companies. The charter does not let Coinbase take ordinary retail deposits, make traditional loans or issue stablecoins directly. The April decision required at least $60 million in Tier 1 capital.

Chief executive Brian Armstrong wrote that "trusted custody is essential for bringing more of the financial system onchain."

Not everyone agrees. The Independent Community Bankers of America sued the OCC on October 2 over its crypto trust charters, and Senator Elizabeth Warren has called the approvals illegal.