World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency company with ties to former and current President Donald Trump, has received preliminary approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to operate as a national trust bank. The conditional charter approval represents a notable milestone for the firm, which has sought to establish a regulated banking footprint alongside its existing digital asset operations.

The OCC's preliminary approval allows World Liberty Financial to begin organizing as a national trust bank, though it must still meet a range of regulatory and capitalization requirements before receiving a full charter. The trust bank structure would allow the company to custody digital assets and potentially issue stablecoins under federal oversight, aligning with recent legislative efforts in Congress to create clearer rules for stablecoin issuers.

The approval comes at a moment when federal regulators have grown more receptive to crypto-linked financial institutions. The OCC under the current administration has signaled greater openness to granting charters to digital asset firms, a shift from the more restrictive posture of prior years. World Liberty Financial's application had been under review as part of this broader regulatory realignment.

Critics have raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest given the firm's connections to the Trump family, questioning whether the approval process was influenced by political considerations. Supporters of the charter argue that bringing crypto firms under federal banking supervision increases consumer protections and financial system stability.