Payward, the parent company of cryptocurrency exchange Kraken, has filed an application with the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) for a national trust company charter. If approved, the plan would establish Payward National Trust Company to provide fiduciary custody and related services primarily for digital assets, signaling a step toward deeper integration with traditional banking infrastructure for crypto firms.

In a Friday notice, Payward said the OCC charter, if granted, would build on its current Special Purpose Depository Institution (SPDI) status established in Wyoming through Kraken Financial, and on its Federal Reserve master account, which gives it access to the U.S. payment system. The move aligns with a…