Following a new change in the United States Federal Bank’s regulatory profile, Ripple’s progress in advancing national trust bank licences has received renewed attention. The United States Monetary Supervisory Authority (OCC) indicated that it would provide a clearer route for new entrants, including Digital Assets, to apply for federal licence plates in an attempt to reverse the long-standing under-establishment of new banks.

OCC emphasizes new application channels

The head of OCC, Jonathan Gould, has recently indicated that regulators want more eligible businesses to enter the national banking system. According to OCC disclosures, 40 new bank applications have been received over the past 18 months, including national trust bank applications.

It stated that many applications could be decided within 120 days when the material was complete. OCC also referred to the recent final approval and opening of a fully functional national bank, the first such case in nearly five years.

Gould also explicitly mentioned that as long as the business itself was legal, companies involved in digital assets should also have viable access to the national banking system.

Ripple is still at the conditional approval stage.

Ripple has been refocused because its applications are earlier than most of its peers are in the approval process. In December 2025, OCC issued a conditional preliminary approval to the Ripple National Trust Bank, which also included applications related to Circle, Bitgo, Fidelity Digital Assemblys and Paxos.

But that doesn't mean Ripple is officially operational. It still has to complete the pre-establishment requirements of the OCC before it can be finally authorized.

Unlike traditional retail banks, the proposed national trust bank in Ripple is expected to focus on institutional hosting, settlement and trust services rather than on deposit accounts or traditional loan operations for individual clients.

Stabilizing currency business to increase license value

By March of this year, Ripple was still in the final stages of the process. The continuing tracking of this progress by the market is due to the fact that the licence may become an important compliance entry point for its institutional hosting and settlement operations.

It's not a Ripple case either. In December of last year, OCC covered five digital asset companies once, showing that the Federal Banking Regulatory Authority is more willing to evaluate the encryption model under the existing banking laws.

This trend continued in 2026. World Liberty Financial has also recently received conditional approval from World Liberty Trust Company, and if the remaining requirements are completed the entity will support its USD1 stabilization currency operations.

Time is especially critical for Ripple. The market value of the RLUSD has recently increased by $2 billion, further increasing the importance of the regulated hosting, reserve management and institutional clearing infrastructure.

If the federal licence path continues to open, the reliance of encryption companies on the state-level licensing system may decrease, and more digital asset operations may be brought directly under the federal regulatory framework. However, Ripple remains in a state of conditional approval and capital, governance, compliance, wind control and operational requirements remain to be met on a case-by-case basis.