Nomura-backed cryptocurrency firm Laser Digital has applied for a banking license in the United States, aiming to bring more of its digital assets business into the regulated financial system.
The application was filed Tuesday with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, seeking a National Trust Bank charter that would give Laser Digital a federal path instead of requiring it to obtain custody licenses on a state-by-state basis, the Financial Times reported.
The report states that Laser Digital, which Nomura established in 2022, plans to offer spot trading of digital assets under this structure and does not plan to accept direct deposits.
The request comes as more fintech and cryptocurrency companies experience a friendlier licensing climate in Washington under President Donald Trump, with license requests increasing as companies attempt to move stablecoin payments, custody and operations under federal jurisdiction.
Nomura-backed crypto group Laser Digital applies for US banking license https://t.co/i225NTiHdI
– Financial Times (@FT) January 27, 2026
The process of obtaining a banking license from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) can take more than a year.
An Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) charter is typically implemented in two phases, beginning with conditional approval and then moving to final approval once the applicant has demonstrated that it has the capital and operational readiness necessary to operate a bank, a process that can extend over a year.
The context has changed compared to the previous administration, where candidates often struggled to get through the initial phase and some preferred to withdraw rather than wait for a lengthy exam.
Laser Digital isn’t the only company competing in this space. World Liberty Financial, which is linked to Trump, announced earlier this month that its subsidiary had applied for a national lending bank license from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) related to stablecoin operations.
In Europe, Revolut has also changed its strategy, abandoning plans to buy a U.S. lender and preparing to bid for an independent U.S. banking license.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Paves the Way for New Corporate-Owned Banks
Even outside of the fintech sector, this trend is growing. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation recently approved deposit insurance applications from Ford and General Motors, paving the way for automakers to establish industrial banks in Utah.
A new leadership team has been formed in the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Jonathan V. Gould will be sworn in as Comptroller of the Currency in July 2025.
The numbers show how quickly interest is growing. Freshfields reported that the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) received 14 applications for 2025 charters of (de novo) incorporation for limited-purpose national credit banks, almost as many as the total number of applications from the previous four years combined.
Nomura’s digital currency arm ‘Laser Digital’ seeks US banking charter: report appeared first on Cryptonews Arabic.
