OCC Approves Bank Charter for Trump-Backed Crypto Venture World Liberty Financial
A U.S. bank regulator has conditionally approved a bank charter application linked to President Donald Trump and his family's crypto venture, World Liberty Financial.
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) granted conditional preliminary approval for World Liberty Trust Company's national trust charter application in January 2026.
This approval allows World Liberty to manage and hold assets on behalf of customers and settle payments faster, but does not permit deposit-taking or lending like traditional banks.
The charter will enable World Liberty to directly issue its USD1 stablecoin and custody the U.S. dollar assets backing it, which are currently handled by a business partner, BitGo.