US Regulator Clears Banks to Act as Crypto Intermediaries in Riskless Transactions
Key Notes
- Banks can now execute simultaneous crypto buy-sell transactions with minimal balance sheet exposure under new OCC guidance.
- The policy shift follows earlier moves by FDIC and Federal Reserve to normalize crypto oversight within standard banking supervision.
- Trump administration backs expanded bank participation in digital assets while critics warn of potential systemic risk transmission.
A US national bank regulator has confirmed that banks can act as intermediaries in “riskless principal” crypto transactions, positioning them closer to broker-style roles in the digital asset market.
In these deals, a bank buys crypto from one party and simultaneously sells it to another, holding little or no asset…
