Bank Policy Institute Eyes Lawsuit Over OCC’s Crypto Charter Move - Crypto Economy

TL;DR

• BPI is weighing a lawsuit against the OCC after the regulator made national trust charters easier for crypto, payments, and fintech firms to obtain.
• Banks say the move grants federal approval to bank-like activities without the same supervision, controls, and safeguards required of fully fledged banks normally.
• BPI, state regulators, and community banking groups warn the OCC’s approach could blur banking lines and push the charter dispute into court soon.

In a sharp turn for U.S. banking policy, the charter fight is moving toward the courts. The Bank Policy Institute is weighing a lawsuit against the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency after the regulator moved to make national trust charters more accessible to crypto, payments, and fintech firms, according to a report published Monday. The issue is larger than one licensing dispute. For major banks, the change threatens to redraw competitive lines inside the financial system by giving newer entrants a federal path to operate across all 50 states without becoming full-service banks.

Banks challenge a lighter path into the system

At the center of the dispute is a battle over what a trust charter should allow. The OCC has effectively reinterpreted federal licensing rules in a way that makes it easier for crypto and fintech upstarts to secure a national bank trust charter. Banks argue that this lighter pathway lets firms offer bank-like services under the OCC’s seal of approval while avoiding the same rigorous supervision, controls, and safeguards imposed on fully fledged banks. In their view, the real problem is not innovation itself, but regulatory asymmetry that could unsettle consumer protection and financial stability.


The banking lobby’s resistance did not appear overnight, and the warning signs were already on the record. In October, BPI urged the OCC to reject applications from crypto and blockchain firms, arguing that companies should not receive trust charters unless they plan to operate as genuine trust companies. The group said firms seeking traditional banking activities should pursue full-service charters instead. BPI also warned that allowing applicants to choose a lighter regulatory touch while delivering bank-like products could blur the statutory boundary of what it means to be a bank and heighten systemic risk further.

What gives the episode extra weight is the breadth of the backlash around the OCC’s move. State regulators and community banking groups have raised similar concerns, warning that the regulator’s approach could weaken competition, consumer protections, and stability. Even so, BPI has not yet decided whether it will sue, and the group declined to comment on the potential legal action. That leaves the market in a holding pattern. The OCC’s charter strategy is advancing, but the banks forced to compete with crypto and fintech entrants are signaling that the dispute may be fought in court.