OCC New Regulations Implemented: U.S. National Banks Can Act as Crypto Transaction Intermediaries, ushering in a new era of regulation

【Crypto World】The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) in the United States released an explanatory letter (No. #1188) on December 9, which instantly caused a stir in the banking circle.

What is the key content of this document? Simply put, nationwide banks can now act as intermediaries in crypto asset transactions using the status of “risk-free principal.” The specific operational mode is as follows: banks simultaneously trade with two client counterparts, one buying and one selling, achieving hedging through reverse operations. What are the benefits of doing this? Banks generally do not need to hold crypto asset inventories, only bearing limited risks such as settlement.

What does this step mean? Regulatory approval will undoubtedly encourage more compliant institutions to enter, and market liquidity is expected to improve. But on the other hand, if banks participate in this business, risk control and compliance requirements will only become higher. Whether it can truly be implemented, and how quickly, depends on subsequent product design and the issuance of regulatory rules.

From a market perspective, this is another important signal of the integration of traditional finance and crypto assets. More and more institutional funds now have an entry window, which is definitely a positive for the overall ecosystem’s maturity.