WLFI Gets OCC's Trust Bank Nod — Stablecoin Issuance Just Leveled Up 🏦

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has granted preliminary conditional approval to World Liberty Financial (WLFI) for its national trust bank charter application, the company said in a press release. The approval covers the firm's proposed World Liberty Trust Company, National Association (WLTC), the entity through which the Trump-backed crypto firm intends to run its stablecoin operations. The WLFI token climbed over 2% following the announcement.

The bank charter will enable WLFI to issue its USD1 stablecoin and custody the reserves backing it, pending satisfaction of remaining conditions by the OCC. The application was filed at the start of the year, and the preliminary approval marks a key milestone for the firm as it moves closer to operating a federally chartered trust institution. World Liberty Financial did not specify a timeline for the next steps or the completion of the conditional approval process.

World Liberty Financial joins a growing list of crypto firms that have received similar conditional approvals from the OCC, including Ripple, Fidelity, Paxos, and Circle. Last month, USDC issuer Circle received full approval from the regulator, underscoring the OCC's continued engagement with digital asset companies seeking trust charters. The conditional approvals have become a common pathway for crypto firms aiming to bridge traditional banking infrastructure with stablecoin issuance and custody services.

The WLFI project has drawn attention due to its affiliation with President Donald Trump, whose family has been linked to the venture. World Liberty Financial has positioned itself within the intersection of crypto policy and traditional finance, with the USD1 stablecoin serving as a central piece of its planned offerings. The OCC's decision adds the firm to the expanding roster of digital asset companies pursuing federal trust bank status as regulators in the United States continue to define the framework for stablecoin oversight.