Nomura’s Crypto Arm Laser Digital Eyes US Bank Charter: Report
Nomura-backed crypto agency Laser Digital has utilized for a US banking licence, aiming to carry extra of its digital asset enterprise contained in the regulated monetary system.
The Financial Times reported that the appliance was filed Tuesday with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, in search of a nationwide financial institution belief constitution that will give Laser Digital a federal pathway fairly than forcing it to chase custody permissions state by state.
Laser Digital, which Nomura spun out in 2022, plans to supply spot buying and selling in digital belongings underneath the construction, and it doesn’t plan to take direct deposits, the report stated.
The submitting lands as extra fintech and crypto corporations check a friendlier licensing temper in Washington underneath President Donald Trump, with constitution functions rising as firms attempt to transfer funds, custody, and stablecoin exercise right into a federal perimeter.
OCC Bank Charter Process Can Stretch Beyond A Year
An OCC constitution sometimes runs in two levels, beginning with conditional approval, then transferring to closing sign-off after the applicant reveals it has the capital and operational readiness to run a financial institution, a course of that may stretch effectively past a yr.
The backdrop has modified from the earlier administration, when candidates typically struggled to clear the preliminary bar, and a few withdrew fairly than wait out a protracted evaluation.
Laser Digital isn’t the one agency lining up. Trump-linked World Liberty Financial said earlier this month that its subsidiary applied for an OCC national trust bank charter tied to stablecoin operations.
In Europe, Revolut has additionally shifted gears, dropping plans to purchase a US lender and as a substitute preparing a bid for a standalone US banking licence.
FDIC Clears Path For New Corporate-Owned Banks
Even exterior fintech, the push is spreading. The FDIC not too long ago accepted deposit insurance coverage functions from Ford and General Motors, clearing a path for the automakers to arrange industrial banks in Utah.
The OCC itself has a brand new management group in place, with Jonathan V. Gould sworn in as Comptroller of the Currency in July 2025.
The numbers present how shortly curiosity has picked up. Freshfields reported that the OCC obtained 14 de novo constitution functions in 2025 for restricted objective nationwide belief banks, almost matching the entire from the prior 4 years mixed.
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