CRCL Stock Price Gains 7% as Circle Secures OCC Charter for National Trust Bank

Circle has reportedly secured approval from the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to establish the Circle National Trust. The development marks a major milestone in the company’s expansion of its USDC stablecoin business, and has resulted in CRCL stock gaining roughly 7%.

With this approval, Circle has become one of the first crypto companies to get a regulatory nod from the OCC to launch a chartered bank. Other major players, including Ripple, are still waiting for the final approval to become a federally regulated trust bank.

Circle gets OCC nod to launch National Trust Bank

Circle, the issuer of the second-largest stablecoin, USDC, has announced that the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has approved its application to launch a National Trust Bank. Upon launch, Circle National Trust will become the first National Digital Currency Bank, N.A.

According to the report, the approval allows the stablecoin issuer to provide trust-based crypto custody services through its national trust bank. In addition, the company is also planning to include USDC reserves management under OCC supervision gradually. This could strengthen the stablecoin’s regulatory standards, with its operations under direct federal oversight.

Commenting on this major development, Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire stated:

“OCC approval to establish Circle National Trust marks a defining step in bringing blockchain technology and digital assets into the core of the U.S. financial system. Federal oversight of our trust bank sets a new standard for transparency, governance, and scale for Circle’s infrastructure and unlocks a new phase of adoption, where leading financial institutions can build on public blockchains with clarity and confidence.”

Moreover, the stablecoin giant added that the company is also expanding its custody services to a limited number of institutional clients eventually. These potential clients include banks and other regulated financial institutions. Circle hopes that the National Trust Bank will bridge traditional finance (TradFi) and decentralized finance (DeFi).

Federal trust bank approvals extend beyond Circle

It is worth noting that the latest development within the Circle ecosystem follows the regulator’s conditional approvals issued in late 2025 to many crypto firms, including Ripple. Brad Garlinghouse’s Ripple is now waiting for the OCC’s final approval to launch the Ripple National Trust Bank.

Other companies, including BitGo, Fidelity Digital Assets, and Paxos, have also acquired OCC’s chartered bank approvals. When the regulator finds these firms satisfying the remaining requirements, they can start operating as federally chartered national trust banks.

Trust banks allow these companies to offer digital asset custody services nationwide. However, they cannot accept customer deposits or issue loans, unlike traditional banks. Bank charters usually focus on safeguarding user funds under federal regulation.

Ark Invest invests more in CRCL stock

Interestingly, the OCC’s national trust bank approval coincides with Ark Invest’s investment in Circle shares. 

Cathie Wood’s Ark Invest has purchased 217,896 CRCL shares across its ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK), ARK Next Generation Internet ETF (ARKW), and ARK Fintech Innovation ETF (ARKF). Considering the Circle stock’s price on Thursday, the investment is valued at about $13.7 million.

Source:: CRCL Stock Price Gains 7% as Circle Secures OCC Charter for National Trust Bank