Ripple pushes deeper into regulated finance with OCC approval

Ripple just took a direct step into federal banking oversight after the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency confirmed that the company received conditional approval to form Ripple National Trust Bank, a national trust bank that will sit under federal supervision.

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse posted on X that “HUGE news! @Ripple just received conditional approval from the @USOCC to charter Ripple National Trust Bank.

This is a massive step forward – first for $RLUSD, setting the highest standard for stablecoin compliance with both federal (OCC) & state (NYDFS) oversight,” and he pushed back at banking lobbyists by saying they complain that crypto avoids rules even though Ripple is now “directly under the OCC’s supervision and standards.”

The OCC approval follows the GENIUS Act, signed by President Donald Trump in July 2025, which created the legal structure for U.S. stablecoins.

The OCC said Ripple applied to establish RNTB as a federally supervised trust bank, and the approval reflects the company’s plan to build financial products that operate within clear rules.

Ripple said the charter will let the company run RLUSD with full oversight from both the New York Department of Financial Services and the OCC, giving the stablecoin a mix of state and federal supervision.

Ripple expands stablecoin operations under federal rules

With the trust bank structure, RLUSD reserves will fall under trust-company rules, and Ripple said no other issuer in the market today operates under this same dual framework.

The company expects traditional finance firms to use stablecoins that meet formal regulatory standards, and it said this structure gives RLUSD the type of compliance profile needed for enterprise payment use.

Brad said the conditional approval “represents a massive step forward – setting the highest standard for stablecoin compliance with both federal and state oversight,” and he added that bank lobbyists calling the industry irresponsible “may claim otherwise” even though Ripple is building RLUSD to be “the most transparent and responsibly managed stablecoin in the market today.”

Ripple said final approval would allow RNTB to give stronger protections to RLUSD holders and add more security requirements around issuance and reserves. The trust bank will also support Ripple’s broader institutional products, including payments and liquidity tools.

RLUSD has already crossed $1 billion in market cap in under a year, and trading firms are using it as collateral through Ripple Prime. Ripple said this shows steady demand for regulated stablecoins that can fit into larger trading and settlement systems.

Ripple Payments, which has been running for more than ten years, uses digital assets and stablecoins for fast settlement, global liquidity, and smooth on-ramps and off-ramps. The company said its payout network reaches more than 90% of the global FX market and has processed more than $95 billion in volume so far.

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