Ripple has received final approval from the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to establish Ripple National Trust Bank (RNTB), marking a significant regulatory development for the company’s stablecoin and institutional digital asset businesses.Announced on October 26, 2026, the approval completes a process that began with preliminary conditional authorization on December 12, 2025.The federally supervised institution will manage segregated reserves backing Ripple USD (RLUSD), serve as collateral trustee for stablecoin holders and provide fiduciary digital asset custody services.However, the charter does not authorize Ripple to operate as a conventional commercial bank offering retail deposit accounts or lending services.Ripple said the approval strengthens its regulatory infrastructure as financial institutions increasingly adopt blockchain-based payments, tokenization and digital asset custody. The announcement comes as RLUSD reaches approximately $2.5 billion in market capitalization, according to the company’s latest figures.
Federal Charter Expands Ripple’s Institutional Services
Ripple National Trust Bank will operate under OCC supervision, providing a federally regulated structure for managing assets associated with the company’s stablecoin business. Its responsibilities include overseeing segregated reserve assets and acting as collateral trustee for the benefit of RLUSD holders. The institution will also be authorized to provide fiduciary cryptocurrency custody services to affiliated businesses and external institutional clients.Importantly, RLUSD issuance will remain with Standard Custody & Trust Company, Ripple’s limited-purpose trust company regulated by the New York Department of Financial Services. This arrangement separates the stablecoin’s issuance from the federally supervised reserve management and custody functions.Ripple said BNY remains RLUSD’s primary reserve custodian, while independent third-party attestations are published monthly to report circulating supply and reserve holdings. The stablecoin, launched in December 2024, is backed by US dollar deposits, US government securities and other cash equivalents.Ripple chief executive Brad Garlinghouse described the final authorization as evidence that cryptocurrency infrastructure and regulated banking can operate together. The new trust bank is expected to support institutional activities across payments, custody and capital markets.Nevertheless, the announcement does not establish that RNTB has already begun providing every approved service. Ripple described its institutional custody capabilities as becoming available upon opening.
Approval Comes as US Stablecoin Rules Take Shape
Ripple’s authorization follows a broader movement among cryptocurrency companies seeking federal banking charters. In December 2025, the OCC granted preliminary conditional approvals to Ripple, Circle, BitGo, Fidelity Digital Assets and Paxos.Circle subsequently received final approval for its national trust bank in July 2026, while several other applicants remained at earlier stages of the chartering process. The development also follows the passage of the GENIUS Act in July 2025, which established a federal regulatory framework for payment stablecoins.On October 21, 2026, the OCC issued its final implementing regulations covering reserve assets, redemptions, risk management, audits and supervisory requirements. Those regulations are scheduled to become effective on January 18, 2027.Separate requirements concerning anti-money laundering and sanctions compliance remain subject to additional rulemaking. For Ripple, the national trust charter provides a federally supervised foundation for expanding RLUSD-related infrastructure without transferring issuance away from its existing New York-regulated subsidiary.The distinction is also relevant to XRP investors. The charter directly concerns RLUSD reserves and institutional custody rather than XRP’s legal classification, token supply or use within the XRP Ledger.Although stronger institutional infrastructure could support Ripple’s broader business, the approval does not create a direct financial entitlement for XRP holders. The immediate significance lies in the company’s ability to provide specialized digital asset services within the US federal banking system.As the stablecoin market expands, Ripple’s next challenge will be translating its regulatory authorization into operational services and sustained institutional adoption.
