Introduction to Bridge's OCC Charter Application
Bridge, the stablecoin infrastructure company owned by Stripe, has applied for a national bank trust charter with the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), one of the country’s main federal banking regulators.
If approved, the charter would allow Bridge to issue and manage regulated stablecoins under federal supervision, operating within a unified framework consistent with the GENIUS Act — the stablecoin legislation enacted earlier this year. The law established national standards for dollar-backed tokens and reserve disclosures.
“We’ve long believed stablecoins will be a core, regulated financial building block. This regulatory infrastructure will enable us to tokenize trillions of dollars and make this future possible,” Bridge co-founder Zach Abrams wrote on X on Wednesday. Stripe first signaled its intent to seek OCC oversight two weeks ago.
Investor Insights
A federal trust charter would make Bridge one of the few U.S.-regulated stablecoin issuers, putting Stripe in direct competition with Circle and Paxos for institutional clients.
Joining the Federal Stablecoin Race
Bridge’s application follows a growing push by major fintech and crypto firms to operate under federal charters. Stablecoin issuers Circle (CRCL), Paxos, and Ripple have each sought similar approval to expand beyond state-by-state regulation. Anchorage Digital remains the only crypto-native company to have secured a federal banking charter, granted by the OCC in 2021.
The move marks a new phase in Stripe’s reentry into crypto after years on the sidelines. The payments firm acquired Bridge for $1.1 billion last year, aiming to integrate stablecoin infrastructure into its global payments ecosystem. Since then, Stripe has accelerated efforts to offer digital asset services to merchants and developers, aligning with federal efforts to formalize stablecoin oversight.
Stripe's Stablecoin Expansion
Bridge has become a centerpiece of Stripe’s strategy to link fiat payments with blockchain settlement. In June, Stripe partnered with Coinbase and Shopify to enable merchants to accept payments in Circle’s USDC stablecoin. Later, Stripe launched its Open Issuance platform, which helps companies create custom stablecoins using Bridge’s infrastructure. The company is also developing Tempo, a Layer 1 blockchain optimized for payment processing and settlement.
Earlier this week, Bloomberg reported that Stripe is testing a new subscription service for recurring payments using stablecoins. If Bridge’s charter is approved, it could streamline these products under a single regulated entity, reducing compliance friction and enhancing trust among financial institutions and payment partners.
Investor Takeaway
Federal licensing could allow Stripe to extend stablecoin payments to its 3.5 million merchant clients, bridging traditional finance and blockchain settlements under one regulatory roof.
OCC Review Process
The OCC charter process typically takes several months and involves detailed scrutiny of compliance systems, reserve management, and risk frameworks. If approved, Bridge would join a small group of federally supervised entities authorized to issue and custody digital assets nationwide.
The GENIUS Act has spurred a wave of charter applications as companies seek clarity amid a fragmented regulatory environment. For Stripe, whose payment infrastructure processes billions of dollars daily, an OCC license could provide a foundation for stablecoin-based settlement across U.S. and international markets.