Stripe’s Bridge Seeks U.S. Bank Charter to Expand Stablecoin Services

Bridge, the stablecoin infrastructure firm acquired by Stripe, has applied for a national bank trust charter with the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Approval WOULD place the company under federal oversight, enabling regulated services like stablecoin issuance and custody. Co-founder Zach Abrams framed the move as pivotal for institutional adoption: "We’ve long believed stablecoins will be a core, regulated financial building block."

The application reflects broader industry momentum. Major players like Circle and Paxos are similarly pursuing federal frameworks as the stablecoin market nears $300 billion. Recent regulatory clarity from the GENIUS Act has accelerated this trend, with digital dollars gaining traction for cross-border settlements.

Stripe’s strategic positioning is notable. Its newly launched Open Issuance platform already supports stablecoin projects including Phantom’s CASH and MetaMask’s mUSD—leveraging Bridge’s blockchain infrastructure to tokenize assets at scale.