Nomura-Backed Laser Digital Moves to Secure US Bank Charter

Highlights:

• Nomura-backed Laser Digital has applied for a US national bank charter with the OCC.
• If approved, the license allows Laser Digital to operate under a unified regulation.
• Laser Digital will also be allowed to bring some of its products into the US financial system.

Laser Digital, a crypto-focused company backed by Japanese financial firm Nomura, has moved to join the US banking system. According to reports, the company has applied for a federal banking license in the United States.

Laser Digital submitted its application to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the agency that oversees national banks’ operations in the US. If approved, Laser Digital will operate under a single license, eliminating the need to comply with separate rules in each state. This type of license allows financial companies to hold and manage clients’ assets without acting as a full retail bank.   

According to the Financial Times, Laser Digital, the digital assets arm backed by Nomura Holdings, has applied to the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) for a national trust bank charter to operate under a federal regulatory framework. The charter would not…

— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) January 27, 2026

Stages of OCC Approval

The OCC approval process usually happens in two phases. First, the regulator must give an initial green light. This mostly happens within the first four months of application. Secondly, the applicant must prove that it has enough capital and ability to operate safely before receiving final approval. This stage can extend even over a year. 

Under the Biden-led administration, obtaining OCC approval often came with strict requirements and conditions that forced many applicants to drop out of the process. However, under the Trump administration, regulators are showing a greater willingness to approve applications, which has encouraged more companies to pursue the license.  

Laser Digital chasing a US banking license signals a seismic shift: crypto escaping state-by-state headaches for one federal trust charter. With the OCC easing crypto charters under Trump, expect a rush of firms sliding into mainstream banking shoes—custody and spot trading just… pic.twitter.com/x3WsqKF8FE

— Fama Crypto (@Famacrypt) January 28, 2026

Financial and Crypto Firms Move to Secure OCC’s Bank Charter

Earlier this month, Donald Trump’s family-backed company, World Liberty Financial (WLFI), moved to expand its stablecoin business in the United States by applying for a national trust bank license with the OCC. A few days after applying for the charter, Elizabeth Warren, a US Senator, called on the banking regulators to pause review of WLFI’s application. In a letter sent to the OCC, she asked regulators to delay any decision until Trump divests all financial interests tied to the company. 

The Senator wrote:

“In the meantime, to mitigate the public’s legitimate concerns regarding presidential corruption, you must delay review of this application until President Trump divests from WLF and eliminates all financial conflicts of interest involving himself or his family, and the company.” 

Despite the Senator’s warning, the OCC disclosed on January 23 that it will continue WLFI’s application review process. In an official letter, Jonathan V. Gould, the Comptroller of the Currency, noted that the process will progress under existing standards. He also stated that political demands can not influence its review procedures. “The OCC charter application process should be, and under my leadership will be, an apolitical and nonpartisan process,” the Officer added.    

In related news, PayPal, a leading payment platform, has also applied for a US bank charter. In one of its news articles dated December 16 2025, Crypto2Community reported that the company submitted its applications to the Utah Department of Financial Institutions and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).

The move aims to expand PayPal’s lending ability to small businesses in the United States. Crypto.com and Coinbase have also applied for a national trust charter to boost innovation and compliance, highlighting many companies’ growing interest in becoming part of the US banking system.