OCC grants national trust bank charter to Bridge stablecoin platform backed by Stripe

Stripe’s acquisition of the Bridge stablecoin platform is entering a new phase as U.S. regulators clear the way for federally supervised issuance and custody of tokenized dollars.

OCC conditional approval elevates Bridge to national trust bank

Bridge, the stablecoin infrastructure provider acquired by payments giant Stripe, has secured conditional approval from the United States Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to form a national trust bank. The move allows the company to issue dollar-pegged tokens, manage reserves, and deliver custodial services under direct federal oversight.

The charter sits at the center of Stripe’s strategy to embed blockchain-based payments into its global network. Moreover, it gives Bridge the ability to operate across the U.S. without seeking separate state-level money transmitter licenses, a key operational advantage as the stablecoin market scales.

The decision also provides clearer regulatory status for issuers leveraging Bridge’s platform. That said, the OCC’s conditions, combined with ongoing supervision, will shape how quickly the company can expand across the digital dollar ecosystem.

Bridge’s role in Stripe’s stablecoin and payments strategy

The conditional banking charter positions Bridge as a more influential player in U.S. stablecoins, offering greater compliance assurance for businesses seeking tokenized dollar solutions. The approval marks a new milestone for the company, which already supports the issuance of stablecoins such as Phantom’s CASH and MetaMask’s mUSD via Stripe’s Open Issuance platform.

Bridge’s framework operates under GENIUS Act requirements, which aim to safeguard customers while enabling scalable blockchain middleware. Moreover, this compliance profile is designed to appeal to enterprises, fintechs, and crypto-native firms that need institutional-grade infrastructure for token issuance, reserves management, and settlement.

Within Stripe’s ecosystem, the platform functions as connective tissue between traditional payments and on-chain settlement. However, the long-term impact will depend on how quickly merchants, financial institutions, and app developers adopt on-chain dollars for real-world transactions.

Founders and strategy: from Coinbase alumni to U.S.-wide reach

Bridge was founded by former Coinbase executives Zach Abrams and Sean Yu, who set out to simplify movement between traditional fiat rails and blockchain networks. Their infrastructure focuses on stablecoin orchestration, reserve management, and compliance tooling that can plug into existing financial systems.

With OCC authorization in place, the company can now expand its services across the United States under a unified federal framework. Moreover, the national trust bank structure reduces dependence on a patchwork of state licenses, potentially accelerating deployments for clients that want to integrate tokenized dollars at scale.

According to the firm, this architecture should benefit enterprises and fintechs looking for turnkey solutions that combine Stripe’s payments reach with regulated digital asset capabilities. However, the broader industry is watching closely to see how quickly such federally supervised models can move from pilot to mainstream use.

Competition and emerging regulatory clarity in stablecoins

The OCC’s conditional approval further strengthens Bridge’s positioning in the rapidly growing stablecoin arena. It also reflects a broader trend of crypto and fintech firms seeking stablecoin regulatory clarity, as companies including Ripple, Circle and Paxos have pursued similar charters or approvals to operate within U.S. banking and securities rules.

Where Bridge differentiates itself is in its integration with Stripe’s global payments infrastructure, potentially enabling digital dollar usage across a wide base of online merchants and platforms. Moreover, this combination of payments scale and federal oversight could influence how other payment networks, such as Visa or Mastercard, consider future stablecoin partnerships.

For businesses, the development offers another option for accessing tokenized dollars without building their own regulatory stack. That said, competitive pressure is intensifying as multiple issuers, protocols, and banking partners race to define the standard for institutional-grade U.S. stablecoins.

Policy concerns around speed of approvals and the GENIUS Act

Despite the potential benefits, the wave of national trust bank charters for crypto-related firms is drawing scrutiny from traditional finance. The American Bankers Association (ABA) has urged the OCC to ensure that the GENIUS Act provisions are clearly interpreted and consistently implemented across new digital asset charters.

The ABA’s concerns center on whether fintech and crypto companies might use these structures to sidestep the level of oversight that conventional banks face. Moreover, many of the detailed regulations required by the law are still being drafted, raising questions about how supervisory standards will evolve over the next few years.

In this context, the latest bridge stablecoin approval is seen as both a marker of progress and a test case. However, critics argue that the OCC must calibrate its approach carefully as asset tokenization accelerates.

Outlook for federal oversight and stablecoin infrastructure

Going forward, the continued coordination between the OCC, the Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) will be critical in defining the U.S. stablecoin regime. Moreover, their joint stance on reserve quality, disclosures, and risk management will influence how quickly tokenized dollars become embedded in the broader payments system.

For Stripe and Bridge, the conditional charter represents both an opportunity and an obligation to demonstrate that regulated stablecoin infrastructure can operate at internet scale while meeting banking-level standards. That said, the pace of adoption will depend on market demand, merchant readiness, and the evolving legal framework around digital dollars.

In summary, Bridge’s national trust bank status under OCC supervision gives Stripe a powerful new lever in blockchain-based payments, while placing the company at the center of the United States debate over how stablecoins should be governed and deployed.