World Liberty Plans Federal Trust Bank to Bring USD1 Stablecoin Under OCC Oversight
World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency firm associated with President Donald Trump’s family, has taken a significant regulatory step by applying to the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to establish a national trust bank.
If approved, the new entity—proposed as World Liberty Trust Company—would place the firm’s USD1 stablecoin under direct federal supervision. The charter would allow World Liberty to manage the issuance and redemption of USD1, handle conversions from other major stablecoins, provide custody for fiat and digital assets, and oversee the reserves backing the stablecoin, all within a federally regulated framework.
The move signals an effort to elevate USD1 beyond a trading-focused asset and position it as a reliable settlement tool for digital payments. Stablecoins are designed to maintain a consistent value, most often pegged to the U.S. dollar, making them critical infrastructure for on-chain payments and institutional crypto activity.
National trust bank charters are uncommon, especially for crypto-native firms. To date, Anchorage Digital remains the only digital asset company to have secured conditional approval for such a charter, granted in 2021. The OCC currently supervises roughly 60 national trust banks, underscoring how selective the process remains.
Unlike fintech firms pursuing state-level banking licenses with deposit-taking privileges, World Liberty’s application targets a trust charter. This structure would enable custody and settlement services without lending activities or insured deposits, aligning more closely with the operational needs of a stablecoin issuer.
By pursuing a federal trust charter, World Liberty aims to reduce the regulatory fragmentation and counterparty risks often associated with state-by-state licensing and banking partnerships. If successful, the move could mark a meaningful shift in how stablecoin issuers integrate into the U.S. financial system—setting a higher regulatory benchmark for digital dollar infrastructure.