Circle has receivedfinal approval from the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency toestablish a national trust bank, allowing the USDC issuer to expand itsregulated digital asset custody operations in the United States.The company announced today(Friday) that the new institution will operate as Circle National Trust,formally established as First National Digital Currency Bank. The approvalfollows Circle'sapplication for a national trust charter in June 2025.The decision alsomarks the first approval among a recent wave of applications from majorstablecoin issuers seeking federal trust bank charters. Ripple applied toestablish Ripple National Trust Bank in July last year as part of its plans tosupport its RLUSD stablecoin and custody services.Paxosfollowed with its own application in August, seeking to convert itsexisting New York trust charter into a national OCC charter. Circle is thefirst of the three companies to receive final approval from the regulator.Trust Bank Begins with Affiliate CustodyServicesCommenting on theapproval, Chief Executive Officer Jeremy Allaire described the decision as"a defining step" in bringing blockchain technology and digitalassets "into the core of the US financial system."According to theapproved business plan, Circle National Trust will initially provide fiduciarydigital asset custody services for Circle and its affiliated companies. Thebank could later expand those services to a limited group of institutionalclients, including banks and other financial institutions, if demand develops.Circle has received final OCC approval to establish First National Digital Currency Bank, N.A., a national trust bank operating as Circle National Trust.A major U.S. regulatory milestone that strengthens USDC infrastructure through federally regulated custody, with reserve… pic.twitter.com/GtThvFV5aW— Circle (@circle) July 10, 2026Circle Eyes Federal Oversight forReservesThe trust bankstructure could also allow Circle to manage the reserves backing its USDCstablecoin under federal oversight in the future.The approval furtherexpands Circle's regulatory footprint. The company said it was the firstbusiness to receive a BitLicense from the New York Department of FinancialServices in 2015 and the first global stablecoin issuer to comply with theEuropean Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets framework in 2024. Circle has alsosecured regulatory approvals in the United Kingdom, Singapore, Bermuda, Canadaand Abu Dhabi.This article was written by Tareq Sikder at www.financemagnates.com.