Instant takeaway: On 2026-09-18, the same day, the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) issued “preliminary, conditional approval” to two digital-asset-related institutions as well—Catena Trust Bank, N.A. (Corporate Decision 1392) and Agora National Trust Bank (Decision 1393). Note: this is preliminary, conditional approval, not a final license to open.
According to the OCC filing: Catena plans to operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Catena Labs, headquartered in New York. Its business scope includes custody, investment management, trusts, and activities such as conversions, clearing, and execution involving fiat/cash, securities, and digital assets. Before receiving final authorization, it must satisfy its respective pre-opening conditions. Agora plans to operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Agora Atlas, headquartered in New York, with a focus including issuing and maintaining U.S. dollar stablecoins and reserves, custody of digital assets, payment and settlement, and—also—fiduciary investment advisory services for corporate clients that use the custody business. It, too, must wait for final authorization before it can open as a national trust bank.
Independent verification: PYMNTS (2026-09-20) and Bitzo, reported with consistent wording—this is another two institutions within the OCC’s same-day package of actions (Bastion’s conversion had previously been mentioned separately). Both sources emphasized that a conditional approval ≠ already allowed to open for business publicly as a national trust bank.
Image shows the first page of the OCC’s official decision letter, not market data or an account screenshot.
Data as of: 2026-09-18 (OCC CD 1392 / 1393)
For information sharing only and does not constitute investment advice.
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