TL;DR
- Coinbase Trust Charter faces resistance from U.S. banking groups, led by the ICBA, which warns the OCC against lowering chartering standards.
- Coinbase’s legal chief Paul Grewal calls the opposition “protectionism,” arguing banks are shielding their turf from crypto competition.
- The OCC’s decision will set a precedent for how digital-asset firms can obtain federal trust bank status.
Coinbase’s bid for a national trust bank charter has ignited a new flashpoint between crypto firms and traditional banking lobbies. While Coinbase Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal accuses U.S. bank groups of “protectionism,” the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) claims its objection is rooted in prudential facts, not fear of competition. The exchange’s Coinbase Trust Charter application has drawn a formal pushback that goes well beyond rhetoric.
What Coinbase Is Applying For
Coinbase National Trust Company has applied to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) for a national trust bank charter. This type of charter allows an institution to act as a fiduciary, hold client assets, and offer custody or trust services without taking retail deposits or issuing loans. If approved, Coinbase would operate under a single federal regulatory framework instead of multiple state-level trust licenses, improving efficiency for large-scale institutional custody operations.
A national trust bank charter also provides a degree of federal preemption over certain state regulations, but may still require coordination with state authorities depending on the nature of specific fiduciary services. The designation would align Coinbase with previous OCC-chartered digital asset trusts, including Anchorage Digital Bank N.A., which remains operational under ongoing supervision, and Protego Trust Bank, though its conditional charter lapsed in 2023 after it failed to commence operations within the OCC’s required timeframe.
The ICBA’s Letter — Three Core Arguments
The ICBA’s letter to the OCC centers on three claims: risk management, profitability, and resolution planning. Together they paint a picture of a firm that, in ICBA’s view, has not yet earned bank-grade status.
- Risk Management and Governance: The ICBA questions whether Coinbase can maintain controls comparable to regulated banks. It highlights crypto volatility and custody risk as potential weak spots. The group also points to the exchange’s complex corporate structure and possible conflicts between its trading and trust operations.
- Profitability and Business-Model Resilience: The letter argues that Coinbase’s revenue is too dependent on transaction cycles. Past downturns and legal expenses, it says, show that the company has not proved it can remain profitable under stress. Bank chartering standards require evidence of sustained earnings, not market-driven spikes.
- Resolution Planning and Consumer Protection: The ICBA claims the applicant lacks a credible plan for an orderly wind-down should it fail. It raises concerns about data security and consumer losses if on-chain operations malfunction. “The OCC must not lower chartering standards to accommodate unproven crypto business models,” the letter warns.
The tone is procedural, not political, though its implications are politically charged. If the OCC agrees, the decision could set a precedent that limits future crypto entrants.
Coinbase’s Response — “Protectionism in Plain Sight”
Coinbase fired back immediately. Grewal called the ICBA’s filing “a smokescreen for protectionism,” arguing that community banks want to shield their turf rather than uphold prudence. He said crypto companies already meet many of the same compliance requirements and should be judged on merit. “It’s another case of bank lobbyists trying to dig regulatory moats to protect their own,” he wrote on X.
Grewal also noted that Coinbase and other licensed entities have operated safely under state charters for years. He framed the OCC crypto charter debate as a competition issue rather than a risk one: “Same rules, not special rules.” To Coinbase, the ICBA’s tone resembles a guild defending its members from innovation.
Who Actually Decides — The OCC’s Role
The OCC is the sole authority that can approve or deny the Coinbase Trust Charter. Groups like ICBA and the Bank Policy Institute (BPI) may submit letters and lobby officials, but they have no formal power to block the application. The agency reviews each submission for capital adequacy, governance, compliance track record, and viability. Political pressure, however, can delay approvals or add conditions.
Past cases show how cautious the OCC has become. Anchorage Digital won its trust charter in 2021 but later faced supervisory actions for anti-money-laundering gaps. That episode made the regulator wary of granting more crypto charters without bank-level controls.
The Broader Context — A Battle for Regulatory Turf
The ICBA’s campaign fits a larger pattern of banks vs. crypto over market access. Community banks fear federal charters could let digital-asset firms bypass state oversight and compete for custody revenues. Crypto companies counter that the status quo rewards incumbents and stifles innovation. The OCC sits in the middle, tasked with encouraging innovation without watering down safety and soundness standards.
For Coinbase, winning the charter would mean more credibility with institutional clients and a path to bank-level services. For its critics, it would blur the line between regulated finance and speculative crypto activity. Each side accuses the other of distorting regulation to its own advantage.
What Comes Next
The OCC has not set a timeline for its decision. Regulators could approve the application with conditions, request additional data, or deny it outright. Either way, the result will define how far crypto companies can move into banking territory without crossing supervisory red lines. Coinbase says it is ready to meet any requirement “consistent with the highest bank-grade standards.”
>>> Read more: Crypto.com Joins 2025 Rush for U.S. National Trust Bank Charters
Closing Takeaway
The ICBA’s brief reads like a supervisory memo; Coinbase’s rebuttal reads like an antitrust argument. Between them lies a deeper question for the OCC: can a crypto firm ever satisfy traditional bank yardsticks without losing what makes it crypto? The answer to that question, and to the Coinbase Trust Charter application, will shape how finance evolves from here.
