US banks can handle customer crypto assets held in custody, regulator confirms

The US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has confirmed banks under its jurisdiction can trade crypto on behalf of customers and outsource some crypto activities to third parties. 

Acting comptroller Rodney Hood  said  in a May 7 letter that banks and federal savings associations  can buy and sell crypto  they hold in custody at customers’ direction.

The OCC  added  in a press release that financial institutions can also outsource bank-permissible  crypto activities , including custody and execution services, to third parties in compliance with applicable law.

“Additionally, these banks may provide other custody services, including record keeping, tax or reporting services for their customers,” Hood  said  in a May 7 video posted to X. 

“OCC banks may use a sub-custodian to provide the same services subject to appropriate third-party risk management practices, while a range of cryptocurrency and digital asset activities may be performed by banks and their third parties,” he added. 

Previously, the OCC eased its  stance on how banks can engage with crypto  on March 7 by giving the green light for crypto-asset custody, some stablecoin activities, and participation in independent node verification networks such as distributed ledgers. 

“More than 50 million Americans hold some form of cryptocurrency. This digitalization of financial services is not a trend; it is a transformation,” Hood said. 

The OCC is an independent bureau within the US Department of the Treasury that  regulates  and supervises all national banks and also the federal branches of foreign banks.

Industry supports the OCC letters 

Katherine Kirkpatrick Bos, general counsel at ZK-rollup developer StarkWare,  said  the letters signal a “shift in the OCC’s approach,” which now appears to favor a focus on integrating crypto within banking frameworks. 

“More guidance will give further clarity [and] will allow banks to re-enter crypto [without] the fear of existential regulatory risk,” she said. 

She added the OCC’s “explicit permission today allowing banks to outsource bank-permissible crypto-assets is a boon to regulated crypto native service providers.” 

Chief policy officer at crypto exchange Coinbase, Faryar Shirzad, also applauded the move,  saying  in a May 7 post to X, Hood’s commitment to “regulatory clarity, as well as his adherence to supervisory best practices and the letter of the law,” is appreciated. 

The Trump administration has  taken a friendlier attitude toward crypto  since coming into power in January. 

In April, the US Federal Reserve  announced it was withdrawing guidance  that was created to deter banks from engaging in crypto and stablecoin activities.

US President Donald Trump also  signed a joint congressional resolution on April 11 , overturning a Biden administration-era rule that would have required decentralized finance protocols to report transactions to the Internal Revenue Service.