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The main banking supervisory authority in the United States, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), which is part of the Ministry of Finance, has issued an explanation on how national banks can interact with digital assets. It says that banks can act as intermediaries in crypto transactions on behalf of clients.

According to this scheme, the bank acts as a kind of organizer, bringing together buyers and sellers of cryptocurrencies. Due to this, crypto assets do not end up on the bank's own balance sheet, which significantly reduces the risks associated with volatility.

As Jonathan Gould, who previously served as head of the department, noted, companies working with digital assets must undergo a similar licensing procedure as classical financial institutions. He emphasized that the banking system is constantly evolving, and there are no technical grounds for discrimination against digital assets compared to traditional ones.

This guidance from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is an important step towards creating a comprehensive and regulated interaction between the US banking system and the digital asset market. It creates clarity in the legal field for banks interested in developing new services, and at the same time provides customers with a safer way to invest.