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Stripe-Owned Bridge Gains Conditional OCC Approval for National Trust Bank Charter

Bridge’s OCC conditional charter could make it a federally supervised stablecoin issuer, enhancing Stripe’s regulated presence in digital asset services.

Fact Check
Multiple independent, high-authority and high-relevance news outlets consistently report that Bridge, a crypto/stablecoin unit owned by Stripe, has received conditional approval from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) for a national trust bank charter. The reports explicitly mention both the ownership by Stripe and the specific regulatory body involved, as well as the conditional nature of the approval. The coverage comes from reputable sources such as Reuters, Coindesk, The Block, and Decrypt, which cite official or regulatory confirmations, adding significant credibility. There are no credible contradictions found in the evidence, and the minor differences in wording among sources do not alter the core facts. The consistency and specificity of the information across multiple independent outlets strongly supports the truthfulness of the statement.
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Summary

Bridge, acquired by Stripe in 2024 for $1.1 billion, confirmed it has received a conditional national trust bank charter from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Once fully approved, the license will allow Bridge to operate stablecoin products, custody digital assets, and manage reserves under federal oversight. The OCC’s decision aligns Bridge with other crypto-service firms like Circle, BitGo, Ripple, Paxos, and Fidelity Digital Assets that gained similar status in late 2024. The application, filed in October 2024, is pending complete regulatory clearance under the GENIUS Act framework.

Terms & Concepts
  • Stablecoin: A cryptocurrency pegged to a stable asset such as the U.S. dollar, designed to maintain price stability.
  • OCC (U.S. banking regulator): The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, a federal agency that supervises national banks and grants banking charters.
  • National Trust Bank: A federally chartered bank authorized to perform trust-related and custodial services, often including digital asset management.