Stripe's Bridge Aims to Span Fiat and Crypto with Federal Charter

Stripe's Bridge Unit Seeks Federal Bank Charter to Expand Regulated Stablecoin Operations

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Stripe Inc.'s stablecoin infrastructure unit, Bridge, has applied for a national bank trust charter from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), a move that would place the firm under federal regulatory oversight and enable it to issue and manage stablecoins within a unified framework. The application, confirmed by co-founder Zach Abrams in a public statement, aligns with broader efforts by major fintech and crypto firms to establish stablecoin operations under federal rules, a trend accelerated by the recent passage of the GENIUS ActStripe's Bridge Applies for National Bank Trust Charter to^[1].

The charter would allow Bridge to operate as a federally chartered institution, offering services such as stablecoin custody, reserve management, and issuance. This regulatory infrastructure, Abrams said, would "enable us to tokenize trillions of dollars and make this future possible," positioning Bridge as a key player in the rapidly growing $300 billion stablecoin marketStripe’s Bridge Applies for U.S. Bank Charter to Issue Regulated ...^[2]. The GENIUS Act, signed into law in July 2025, has provided clarity on reserve requirements and disclosure standards for dollar-backed stablecoins, spurring a surge in charter applications from firms like Circle and PaxosCrypto companies are fighting in a ‘Bachelor’-style ... - Fortune^[4].

Stripe's acquisition of Bridge for $1.1 billion last year underscored its ambition to integrate stablecoin infrastructure into its global payments ecosystem. The company has since launched initiatives such as the Open Issuance platform, which allows businesses to create custom stablecoins, and Tempo, a blockchain optimized for stablecoin transactionsStripe’s Bridge Applies for U.S. Bank Charter to Issue Regulated ...^[2]. Bridge's federal charter application could streamline these offerings, reducing compliance friction and enhancing trust among financial partners.

The move also intensifies competition in the stablecoin sector. Bridge now joins rivals like Circle's USDC and Paxos's USDG in vying for institutional clients under federal oversight. With Stripe processing billions in payments daily, an OCC charter could enable the firm to expand stablecoin-based settlements to its 3.5 million merchant clientsStripe’s Bridge Applies for U.S. Bank Charter to Issue Regulated ...^[2]. Meanwhile, the Hyperliquid blockchain's recent call for a USDH stablecoin has drawn bids from Bridge, Paxos, and others, highlighting the sector's cutthroat race for market dominance.

Regulatory scrutiny remains a critical hurdle. The OCC's chartering process typically takes months, requiring detailed reviews of compliance systems and risk frameworksStripe’s Bridge Applies for U.S. Bank Charter to Issue Regulated ...^[2]. If approved, Bridge would join a select group of federally supervised entities, including Anchorage Digital, which received its charter in 2021. The outcome could reshape the stablecoin landscape, offering a model for how traditional finance and blockchain infrastructure might coexist under a unified regulatory regime.

As the sector evolves, Stripe's foray into federally regulated stablecoins signals a strategic pivot toward controlling the "rails" of digital payments. By securing a charter, Bridge aims to solidify its role as a bridge-both metaphorically and literally-between fiat and crypto ecosystems, a vision Abrams described as "a core, regulated financial building block" for the futureStripe's Bridge Applies for National Bank Trust Charter to^[1].