World Liberty Financial, the crypto trading and stablecoin platform co-founded by President Donald Trump and his three sons, is widely expected to receive a national trust bank charter from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), according to former agency officials.
The firm submitted its application on January 5, shortly after the OCC granted conditional approvals to crypto companies including Circle, Ripple, and BitGo. Two former OCC staffers told NOTUS that rejection of the application is “inconceivable” under current Acting Comptroller Jonathan Gould, a Trump appointee. An official decision is anticipated in the coming days.
If approved, the charter would allow World Liberty to issue and redeem its USD1 stablecoin directly, manage reserves, provide digital asset custody, and offer settlement services under federal supervision—eliminating the need for intermediaries like its current partner BitGo. The license would also exempt the firm from navigating multiple state regulatory frameworks.
The application has drawn sharp political scrutiny. Senator Elizabeth Warren argued in a February hearing that approval would constitute an unprecedented conflict of interest, citing financial disclosures showing Trump and his family benefit directly. Public records reveal that 75% of proceeds from the platform’s WLFI token sales flow to DT Marks DEFI LLC, a Trump-controlled entity. Reuters reported the family has earned over $2.3 billion from four crypto ventures since Trump’s second term began, with World Liberty accounting for the largest share.
Warren later questioned whether crypto trust charters violated the National Bank Act, while Representative Gregory Meeks challenged Gould’s independence during a June hearing. Gould has consistently defended the OCC’s nonpartisan review process, stating that crypto custody and settlement can fall within existing banking authorities when properly supervised. World Liberty’s spokesman said the company will fully comply with the Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering rules, and that the president has had no involvement since taking office.
The regulatory milestone would expand the Trump family’s crypto empire into mainstream banking, allowing World Liberty to operate much like a PayPal or Venmo for digital assets without reliance on third-party financial intermediaries.
