OCC approves three digital-asset bank charters in one day

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) granted preliminary conditional approval for three national trust bank charters on September 18, 2026. The approved entities include Bastion Platforms, Catena Trust Bank, and Agora National Trust Bank.

Bastion Platforms, which is converting from a New York state trust company, will operate as a non-depository national trust bank. Its services focus on stablecoin infrastructure, including fiduciary custody of assets like USDC, white-label stablecoin issuance and redemption, payment rails, and minting. As a non-depository institution, Bastion cannot accept deposits or make loans and does not carry FDIC insurance.

CEO Nassim Eddequiouaq stated that the charter is intended to serve major financial institutions, noting that stablecoins have transitioned into core financial infrastructure requiring higher standards of regulatory rigor. The simultaneous approval of three charters marks a notable increase in the pace of digital-asset banking authorizations compared to previous years.