Ripple has secured final federal approval for Ripple National Trust Bank (RNTB), advancing its infrastructure for managing reserves and providing custody services tied to its RLUSD stablecoin. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency granted the final authorization on October 26.
The charter places the bank under U.S. federal supervision and authorizes it to commence business. Brad Garlinghouse, Ripple's CEO, described the decision as "Big news" ahead of the company's annual Swell conference, stating the approval gives Ripple "a federally supervised platform to support $RLUSD and provide digital asset custody to enterprises."
Dual Regulatory Structure
RLUSD issuance will continue under the oversight of Standard Custody & Trust Company (SCTC), Ripple's limited purpose trust company regulated by the New York Department of Financial Services. RNTB's federal charter adds a layer of federal banking supervision to the stablecoin's backing infrastructure.
Reserve assets supporting RLUSD include U.S. dollar deposits, U.S. government securities, and cash equivalents, with BNY Mellon serving as the primary reserve custodian. Ripple publishes monthly independent third-party attestations covering circulating supply and backing assets.
Broader Institutional Applications
RLUSD launched in December 2024 and already operates across Ripple's payments infrastructure and serves as collateral within Ripple Prime, the company's prime brokerage business. The stablecoin also gained Standard Chartered custody support for the XRP Ledger earlier this month.
A planned integration with LMAX Group, an operator of foreign exchange and digital asset trading venues, would enable RLUSD to be used as trading collateral, pending completion of testing and documentation requirements and applicable regulatory approvals.
Ripple received conditional approval for the national trust bank charter on December 12, 2025, with the latest authorization completing the organization process. The company will continue working with the OCC and other regulators as RNTB begins operations.
