- OCC allows banks to act as agents in crypto trades.
- No crypto inventory is held by banks.
- Activities must comply with safety and legal standards.
The U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency issued Interpretive Letter 1188, allowing national banks to engage in “riskless principal” cryptocurrency transactions, as reported on December 9th.
This guidance enables banks to act as agent brokers in cryptocurrency trades, highlighting a regulatory shift and potentially influencing institutional crypto engagement.
OCC Grants New Role for Banks in Crypto Market
The adjustment allows banks to serve their clients in the cryptocurrency market with added flexibility and confidence. It broadens financial intermediation activities available to banks with applicable safety and soundness requirements. Banks can now integrate into the growing crypto-asset space without directly handling or holding the assets.
No high-profile individuals or organizations have directly commented on the letter. The lack of immediate reaction from notable figures or platforms suggests either satisfaction with status-quo compliance or the absence of perceived impact on the market status.
Bitcoin Holds Strong Despite Recent Regulatory Movements
Did you know? The OCC’s regulatory approach, including Letter 1188, builds on earlier guidance beginning with Interpretive Letter 1170 in 2020, which allowed banks to offer crypto custody services.
As of December 9, 2025, Bitcoin (BTC) maintains a price of $93,039.58, with a market capitalization of formatNumber(1857050434910.60, 2). Its 24-hour trading volume stands at formatNumber(56455834645.94, 2), reflecting a decrease of 4.98% over the same period, according to CoinMarketCap.
Bitcoin(BTC), daily chart, screenshot on CoinMarketCap at 16:02 UTC on December 9, 2025. Source: CoinMarketCapThe Coincu research team suggests a close watch on compliance innovations in the crypto landscape due to regulatory developments. Market stability might increase as more traditional financial entities engage in crypto, aligning with compliance and reducing perceived risk.
| DISCLAIMER: The information on this website is provided as general market commentary and does not constitute investment advice. We encourage you to do your own research before investing. |
Source: https://coincu.com/news/occ-banks-crypto-trading-role/


