Laser Digital Applies for US Banking Licence: A Strategic Move for Regulated Growth
Nomura-backed crypto firm Laser Digital has taken a significant step by applying for a US banking licence with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). This move is part of a broader strategy to integrate more of its digital asset business within the regulated financial system. The company intends to offer spot trading in digital assets under this potential charter without taking direct deposits. Such a charter would allow Laser Digital to operate under a federal pathway, aligning with a trend where fintech and crypto firms seek federal licensing under a favorable administrative environment. Obtaining this licence involves a two-stage process with the OCC, beginning with conditional approval and culminating in a final sign-off after demonstrating capital and operational readiness, a procedure that may take over a year.
Laser Digital’s application is part of a growing interest among fintech firms in acquiring federal charters, as evidenced by the OCC receiving 14 applications for limited purpose national trust banks in 2025 alone, almost equalling the total from the four preceding years. This trend highlights an increasing alignment of digital asset companies with formal regulatory structures in the United States.
Charter application specifics
Laser Digital filed an application with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency for a national bank trust charter to place a portion of its digital asset business within a federal regulatory framework. Under the proposed charter, the firm plans to offer spot trading in digital assets and to bring those trading activities into the scope of a nationally chartered trust structure.
The company does not intend to take direct deposits under this structure, distinguishing its planned operations from those of deposit-taking retail banks. The filing is intended to bring more of Laser Digital’s digital asset activities inside the regulated financial system while operating through a national bank trust charter rather than as a traditional bank.
The approval process for an Office of the Comptroller of the Currency national bank trust charter, such as the application filed by Laser Digital, typically runs in two stages, beginning with conditional approval. The second stage is a final sign-off after the applicant shows it has the capital and operational readiness to run a bank, a demonstration the OCC requires before issuing a full charter. These two stages constitute the standard pathway the OCC uses for national bank trust charter applications and separate the initial review from the final operational and financial assessments. The overall process can stretch well beyond a year, reflecting the time needed to move from conditional approval to final sign-off once capital and operational requirements have been met.
2025 OCC charter applications and leadership
In 2025 the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency received 14 de novo charter applications for limited purpose national trust banks, a level of filings that the original report states nearly matched the combined total of such applications submitted during the previous four years. The report also states that Jonathan V. Gould was sworn in as Comptroller of the Currency in July 2025, a leadership detail included alongside the application-count figure in the same reporting on national trust bank charters. Both the application count and the swearing-in date are included in the article’s factual summary of activity around limited purpose national trust charters in 2025.
Industry trend on federal licensing and related entities
The report notes a trend of fintech and crypto firms seeking federal licensing under a friendlier administration, and it presents multiple examples of companies pursuing national bank trust charters. It references other entities pursuing similar charters, explicitly naming World Liberty Financial and Revolut among firms pursuing limited purpose national trust bank charters.
The article also notes related regulatory activity involving the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, mentioning moves connected to Ford and General Motors and framing those actions alongside trust-charter filings. These observations are presented in the same reportage that details OCC application volumes and leadership developments.
Laser Digital filed an application with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency for a national bank trust charter to bring more of its digital asset business within the regulated US financial system. Under the proposed charter the firm plans to offer spot trading in digital assets and does not intend to take direct deposits. The OCC charter process typically runs in two stages—conditional approval followed by final sign-off after the applicant demonstrates capital and operational readiness—and can take more than a year. The filing comes amid a broader surge in 2025 when the OCC received 14 de novo charter applications for limited purpose national trust banks, nearly matching the total from the previous four years, and alongside other entities pursuing similar charters such as World Liberty Financial and Revolut and related FDIC moves involving Ford and General Motors. Jonathan V. Gould was sworn in as Comptroller of the Currency in July 2025.
