Server-rendered tracker page for licensing regulation in United States. This page is built for Google and LLM crawlers: every event below links to a permanent policy-event URL with source data and APAC FINSTAB analysis.
Jurisdiction: United States. Regulator: SEC / CFTC / Treasury / Congress. Topic: Licensing. Latest event: September 22, 2026 — Agora Wins Preliminary OCC Approval For National Trust Bank.
Use this page to compare rule changes, licensing signals, enforcement posture, and market-access implications for exchanges, stablecoin issuers, protocols, custodians and institutional teams operating across APAC.
The OCC granted preliminary conditional approval for Agora National Trust Bank, moving a stablecoin infrastructure firm toward direct federal trust-bank supervision for custody, stablecoin operations and transaction services.
Canary Capital filed a second S-1 amendment for a staked SEI ETF targeting roughly 90% asset staking with BitGo as custodian. The structure puts validator selection, rewards, slashing risk, and redemption liquidity inside the ETF disclosure perimeter.
The CFTC Market Participants Division issued Staff Letter 26-25, extending the Phantom no-action position to similarly situated passive software providers that connect users to derivatives markets without acting as brokers. The relief lowers registration pressure for wallets and front ends, but active routing, custody, fee-sharing and solicitation remain compliance triggers.
The SEC granted temporary conditional exemptive relief allowing eligible U.S. tokenized securities venues to trade tokenized NMS stocks through permissioned AMM liquidity pools. The five-year pilot creates a regulated pathway for tokenized equities while leaving synthetic stock tokens and shareholder-rights gaps outside the relief.
SEC Chair Paul Atkins reportedly said the agency would provide crypto regulatory clarity with or without legislation, while the CFTC said it remained prepared to issue crypto rules after the Senate failed to advance the CLARITY Act. U.S. platforms must now track agency rulemaking, exemptions, enforcement and interpretive guidance rather than waiting for a market-structure statute.
The U.S. Senate failed to advance the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act in a 49-50 procedural vote, missing the 60-vote threshold and effectively closing the 2026 legislative window. Exchanges, custodians and token issuers will continue to rely on SEC and CFTC rulemaking, enforcement and state-level constraints rather than a federal market-structure statute.
The Senate is scheduled to hold a procedural vote on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act while Democrats challenge Republican ethics language and discuss a counterproposal. The outcome will affect token classification, exchange registration paths, non-custodial developer boundaries and the SEC's fallback rulemaking agenda.
Block applied to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to form Builders Bank & Trust, N.A. as an uninsured national trust bank for bitcoin, stablecoin and fiduciary custody services. If approved, the federal trust-bank path would move private-key control, customer asset segregation, BSA/AML governance and stablecoin custody duties under OCC supervision.
Revolut received conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency for a US national bank charter, subject to further regulatory steps. The approval moves a major fintech with crypto and stablecoin ambitions closer to a bank-supervised US operating model.
The SEC proposed updates to registered transfer agent rules to address electronic records, electronic communications and blockchain use in securities issuance and share transfers. Tokenized securities platforms would face clearer controls around shareholder records, transfer restrictions and reconciliation between on-chain and off-chain ledgers.
Bybit will launch 24/7 options on stock perpetual contracts for SpaceX and Nvidia from September 17, settling in USDT through unified margin accounts. The structure raises compliance controls around reference pricing, corporate actions, client eligibility, derivatives licensing and valuation of pre IPO exposure.
Reports on WLTC Holdings disclosed a 49% stake held by Abu Dhabi-linked investors and about 38% held by Trump-family-linked entities after OCC preliminary conditional approval for World Liberty Trust Company. The structure raises control, sanctions screening, related-party and conflict-of-interest questions around a crypto-linked national trust bank path.
The SEC sent a proposal to the White House OMB to modernize custody rules for investment advisers and investment companies holding client crypto assets. The rulemaking could clarify qualified custodian treatment, wallet control, asset segregation, audit evidence and client disclosure obligations for digital asset funds and advisers.
Zerohash has refiled a narrower OCC national trust bank charter application after its earlier application was returned without decision. The public comment period runs to September 17 and will test the licensing boundary for digital asset custody, settlement and institutional infrastructure.
Coinbase said it will suspend IOTX trading on Coinbase.com, Coinbase Exchange and Coinbase Prime on or around September 23 after recent asset reviews, while moving books to limit-only mode. The decision is a direct post-listing monitoring signal for exchange asset governance, disclosure tracking and delisting controls.
Coinbase Markets promoted U.S. crypto perpetual and futures access while disclosing that futures are offered through Coinbase Financial Markets, a CFTC-registered FCM and NFA member. The product framing underscores how U.S. crypto derivatives access is being routed through licensed entities, risk disclosures and customer-eligibility controls.
The OCC is racing to finalize GENIUS Act stablecoin rules by November and prepare to process stablecoin issuer applications in early 2027. The move would turn U.S. dollar stablecoin issuance into a bank-supervised regime covering reserves, redemption, audits, custody and examination controls.
The CFTC opened public comment on proposed changes to Commodity Pool Operator and Commodity Trading Advisor registration rules. Crypto funds, structured products and managed derivatives strategies may need to reassess exemption boundaries and advisory obligations as the agency reorients digital-asset oversight.
The OCC conditionally approved World Liberty Trust Co. for a national trust bank charter tied to USD1 stablecoin issuance, custody and redemption functions. The decision moves stablecoin oversight toward bank-charter conditions, reserve governance and enforceable redemption controls.
Baltimore filed lawsuits alleging Kalshi and Polymarket offered unlicensed sports wagering and misled consumers about prediction-market legality. The action extends event-contract scrutiny from federal market structure into local licensing and consumer-protection enforcement.
Avenir Group-backed UMX opened an invite-only beta that combines crypto spot, margin, perps and options with real U.S. stocks, ETFs and stock options. The model collapses crypto and securities access into one venue, raising licensing, derivatives, suitability, market-data and custody boundary questions.
Wintermute said its U.S. affiliate registered as a broker-dealer with the SEC and FINRA, enabling proprietary trading, ETP authorized participant activity and self-clearing of digital asset securities. The move gives a major crypto market maker a regulated U.S. pathway for ETF and tokenized securities market structure.
Coinbase promoted thematic perpetual-style products for U.S. traders, with futures and swaps offered through Coinbase Financial Markets, a CFTC-registered futures commission merchant and NFA member. The launch expands regulated U.S. access to non-single-token reference exposures.
Mastercard completed its acquisition of BVNK, expanding stablecoin payment infrastructure and fiat-digital currency interoperability capabilities. The transaction brings bank-grade payment networks deeper into stablecoin rails, raising compliance focus on merchant KYC, settlement controls, Travel Rule coverage and licensing footprint.
Coinbase Markets said a single Coinbase app will cover stocks, commodities, crypto, pre-IPO perpetuals, indices and FX, with securities and derivatives routed through separate regulated entities. The rollout widens the compliance surface for reference assets, licensing boundaries, jurisdictional availability and customer risk disclosures.
Circle received a limited purpose trust charter from the New York Department of Financial Services for Circle Internet Trust Company, doing business as Circle New York Trust. The approval deepens USDC issuer supervision and clarifies the state trust path for stablecoin infrastructure.
Binance.US reportedly plans to apply to the CFTC for designated contract market status next month, aiming to offer prediction markets as part of a broader business restart. The move would put a major crypto exchange into the US event-contract licensing race and raise questions around market separation, margin and retail controls.
Coinbase Canada's new chief executive said the exchange wants to bring US-style products including derivatives, DeFi services and tokenized assets into Canada. The expansion plan raises the importance of Canadian securities, derivatives and stablecoin product-perimeter approvals.
The CFTC extended no-action relief for Kraken Derivatives Exchange's dormant designated contract market program until August 2027 or until trading resumes. The extension preserves Kraken's U.S. derivatives infrastructure runway while keeping DCM status, reactivation triggers and customer migration controls central to compliance review.
CoinDesk reported that Tether and other foreign stablecoin issuers face a two-year GENIUS Act compliance countdown before U.S. crypto platforms may be barred from offering non-compliant stablecoins. The deadline ties USDT market access to issuer registration, reserve controls and the ability to comply with U.S. lawful orders.
Florida's HB 175 establishes a state-level licensing and prudential framework for payment stablecoin issuers under the Office of Financial Regulation. The law aligns state supervision with the federal GENIUS Act and turns stablecoin issuance into a distinct money services business compliance track.
Alaska's SB 249 creates a virtual currency kiosk framework with consumer protections, transaction controls and an October 1, 2026 effective date. The law adds another state-level template for crypto ATM licensing, registration and fraud-prevention obligations.
Senate Republican leadership is reportedly aiming to begin consideration of the CLARITY Act during the week of July 20 before the August recess. The bill would shape SEC-CFTC jurisdiction, exchange registration and token classification rules for U.S. digital asset markets.
Circle received final Office of the Comptroller of the Currency approval to establish a federally supervised national trust bank. The charter strengthens the federal oversight path for USDC reserve custody and future stablecoin infrastructure.
Custodia Bank asked the US Supreme Court to review its denied access to the Federal Reserve payment system. The case could define whether state-chartered crypto banks can obtain master accounts for regulated settlement access.
New Hampshire HB639 completed enrollment and protects lawful digital-asset payments, self-custody, node operation, staking and mining from certain state or local restrictions. The bill also separates home and business mining from money-transmission licensing, creating a state-level template for crypto-rights legislation.
Pakistani officials said an MOU linked to USD1 cross-border payments had not produced a pilot, licence or known transaction six months after signing. The correction distinguishes government cooperation announcements from regulated stablecoin deployment and live payment activity.
Telcoin Digital Asset Bank launched U.S. onchain bank accounts in Telcoin Wallet that are natively tied to bank-issued eUSD stablecoins. The Nebraska DADI charter model creates a regulated bank-account-to-stablecoin path that matters for GENIUS Act-compliant yield, deposits and consumer payment rails.
A group of U.S. senators urged the Treasury Department not to sideline state supervisors in GENIUS Act stablecoin implementation. The dispute affects whether stablecoin issuers can rely on a dual federal-state pathway or face a more centralized federal process.
Robinhood completed its WonderFi acquisition after CIRO approved the change of control for Coinsquare Capital Markets. The deal folds regulated Canadian crypto brands including Bitbuy and Coinsquare into Robinhood's North American expansion path.
Nomura-backed Laser Digital received conditional OCC approval for a U.S. national trust bank charter, enabling federally supervised custody and administration of tokenized, digital and conventional assets once final conditions are met. The approval extends the U.S. trust-bank pathway for institutional digital-asset custody and collateral services.
Paxos said its Paxos Securities Settlement Company subsidiary received SEC clearing agency registration, making it a blockchain-native clearing and settlement rail for eligible U.S. securities. The approval strengthens the regulated infrastructure layer for tokenized securities and RWA post-trade workflows.
Mastercard secured New York approval to operate digital asset and stablecoin payment infrastructure. The approval brings a global card network deeper into regulated stablecoin settlement and merchant payment rails.
Morgan Stanley submitted a revised Solana ETF application to the SEC with the proposed ticker MSOL, extending altcoin ETF competition beyond crypto-native issuers. The filing keeps SOL custody, staking treatment, and SEC feedback on the institutional productization watchlist.
NYDFS granted GalaxyOne Prime NY a BitLicense and Money Transmission License, authorizing regulated institutional digital asset services in New York. The approval expands Galaxy's institutional trading and custody footprint in one of the strictest US crypto licensing regimes.
The National Credit Union Administration proposed operating and risk-management standards for NCUA-licensed permitted payment stablecoin issuers, with comments due July 17. The proposal expands the US stablecoin rulemaking stack beyond banks and crypto-native issuers by giving credit-union affiliates a defined PPSI path.
The Senate Banking Committee advanced the CLARITY Act by a 15-9 vote, moving the U.S. crypto market-structure bill toward a full Senate test. The bill would clarify SEC-CFTC jurisdiction and materially affect exchange, token issuance and ETF compliance pathways.
The US CLARITY Act approaches critical Senate Banking Committee markup (April 13-20), with failure potentially delaying crypto legislation until 2027. The bill would give CFTC exclusive authority over digital commodities and create mature blockchain graduation pathway. APAC exchanges like HashKey, OSL, and regional platforms serving US customers must prepare for potential compliance requirements under the new framework. Circle dropped 20% on stablecoin yield restrictions in the bill.
SEC and CFTC release landmark joint guidance classifying crypto assets into five categories based on characteristics and functions. The Release addresses investment contract treatment for mining, staking, wrapping, and airdrops. APAC exchanges serving US customers must reassess token listings against new framework, while Hong Kong's similar classification approach in VASP regime positions it well for cross-border compliance alignment.
Florida lawmakers approve a bill requiring stablecoin issuers to obtain licenses from the states Office of Financial Regulation (OFR). The bill, if signed into law, would make Florida the first US state with formal stablecoin issuer oversight, setting a precedent for state-level crypto regulation that could influence APAC jurisdictions considering similar frameworks.
OCC issued 376-page proposed rulemaking to implement GENIUS Act for federal qualified payment stablecoin issuers. Key provisions include $5M minimum capital floor for de novo issuers, rebuttable presumption on yield ban violations via affiliates, and capital/operational backstop framework. BSA/AML compliance deferred to separate Treasury rulemaking.
Crypto.com receives conditional approval from US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) for a national trust bank charter. Upon full approval, Crypto.com National Trust Bank will operate as a qualified custodian for digital assets under direct OCC supervision. Significant milestone for institutional crypto custody in US market with implications for APAC operations.
Crypto.com received conditional OCC approval to charter Foris Dax National Trust Bank (d/b/a Crypto.com National Trust Bank). Planned services include institutional-grade custody, staking across blockchains including Cronos, and trade settlement under federal regulatory oversight.