Bridge, the stablecoin infrastructure firm acquired by Stripe, has received conditional approval from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to establish a national trust bank. The preliminary authorization would allow the company to issue and manage stablecoins under direct federal oversight, marking a significant step in the evolution of regulated digital dollar infrastructure in the United States.
If finalized, the proposed entity, Bridge National Trust Bank, would be permitted to issue stablecoins, custody digital assets and manage reserve assets within a federally supervised banking framework. The approval places Bridge among a growing list of digital asset firms seeking to operate under national banking standards rather than state by state licensing regimes.
Stripe acquired Bridge in 2024 as part of a broader strategy to expand into blockchain based payments and digital asset infrastructure. Since then, Bridge has positioned itself as a backend provider of stablecoin issuance tools for fintech platforms, crypto wallets and enterprise clients. The company currently supports stablecoin issuance for products integrated with major wallet providers through Stripe’s Open Issuance platform.
According to the company, obtaining a national trust charter would provide regulatory clarity and strengthen confidence among institutional partners. Operating under OCC supervision would subject Bridge to federal banking standards related to risk management, capital requirements, compliance controls and operational resilience. For stablecoin issuers, federal oversight is increasingly viewed as essential for scaling digital dollar products within traditional financial systems.
The development follows similar conditional approvals granted in late 2025 to other stablecoin and digital asset firms, including Circle, Ripple, BitGo and Paxos. These moves reflect a broader regulatory shift toward bringing stablecoin issuers inside a structured federal framework, particularly after the passage of the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act. The legislation aims to define reserve standards, disclosure requirements and supervisory mechanisms for dollar backed digital tokens.
Although the OCC has issued conditional approvals, final authorization depends on firms meeting additional requirements before commencing operations as national trust banks. Federal regulators, including the OCC, Federal Reserve and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, are still in the process of implementing detailed rules required under the new law.
Industry analysts note that national trust charters can provide a competitive advantage by offering uniform oversight and clearer regulatory standing. For enterprises and financial institutions exploring stablecoin integration, federally supervised issuers may be viewed as lower risk counterparties compared to unregulated or offshore entities.
Bridge stated that its infrastructure already aligns with compliance expectations outlined in the new stablecoin framework. By securing conditional approval, the firm positions itself to serve fintech companies, crypto platforms and traditional institutions seeking to issue or utilize digital dollars within a defined regulatory perimeter.
The OCC has not yet provided a timeline for final approval. However, the move signals continued momentum toward embedding stablecoin issuance within the U.S. banking system, potentially reshaping how digital dollar liquidity is created, managed and distributed across financial markets.
