Ripple Gains Final OCC Approval for National Trust Bank to Oversee RLUSD Reserves

• Ripple received final approval from the OCC on October 26, 2026, to charter Ripple National Trust Bank following conditional approval in December 2025.
• The bank will manage segregated RLUSD reserves, act as collateral trustee for holders, and provide fiduciary digital asset custody, while issuance remains with a NYDFS-regulated entity.
• RLUSD, launched in December 2024, has grown to a market capitalization of approximately $2.5 billion.

Ripple has secured final approval from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to establish Ripple National Trust Bank, a federally supervised national trust bank that will manage reserves backing its RLUSD stablecoin and offer digital asset custody services.

The approval, announced on October 26, 2026, culminates the chartering process that began with an application in July 2025 and conditional approval on December 12, 2025, according to the official press release. The Block reported that CEO Brad Garlinghouse confirmed the development.

Ripple National Trust Bank is authorized to manage the segregated reserves supporting RLUSD, act as collateral trustee of those reserves for the benefit of RLUSD holders, and provide fiduciary digital asset custody services. RLUSD will continue to be issued by Standard Custody & Trust Company, Ripple’s New York Department of Financial Services-regulated limited purpose trust company, adding federal OCC supervision to the existing state oversight.

“For years, we’ve said crypto and banks work better together. Final approval for Ripple National Trust Bank is what that looks like in practice,” Garlinghouse said in the company announcement. In an X post, he added: “We’ve always said crypto and banks work better together — this is what that looks like. Real innovation, real accountability, federal oversight. The revolution isn’t happening outside the system. It’s happening from within it.”

Launched in December 2024, RLUSD has grown to a $2.5 billion market capitalization and is used across Ripple’s payments infrastructure and as collateral within Ripple Prime. BNY serves as the primary reserve custodian, with the company publishing monthly independent third-party attestations. The stablecoin is fully backed by U.S. dollar deposits, U.S. government securities, and other cash equivalents.

National trust bank charters do not permit deposit-taking or lending, distinguishing them from full-service commercial banks, as noted in coverage by Cointelegraph. The structure places reserve management and custody under federal supervision while issuance remains with the New York entity. Ripple follows Circle in bringing a major stablecoin under dual state and federal oversight.

The approval comes ahead of Ripple’s annual Swell conference and amid broader momentum for digital asset regulation. The company stated it will continue working with the OCC, NYDFS, and other regulators as operations begin, per the announcement.