Breaking: US Senate Edges Out Historic Vote for Pro-Crypto OCC Chair—Bullish Signal for Digital Assets?

The US Senate just tipped the scales—appointing a crypto-friendly regulator to helm the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). Markets brace for ripple effects.

Why it matters: The OCC oversees national banks. A pro-crypto chair could fast-track institutional adoption—or at least stop treating DeFi like a back-alley poker game.

Behind the razor-thin vote: Lobbyists high-fived while old-guard bankers muttered about 'reckless disruption.' (Spoiler: They still think blockchain is a type of bike lock.)

What’s next? Watch for lighter-touch crypto banking rules—and the inevitable Wall Street pivot from 'scam' to 'strategic asset class' once they figure out the custody part.

Closing thought: Nothing unites politicians like the smell of fresh tax revenue—even if they still can’t agree whether crypto is a security, commodity, or existential threat to the dollar.

Gould Likely to Become OCC Chair

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), a bureau within the US Treasury, is an overlooked but important piece of federal financial regulation.

In recent months, for example, it’s enabled BTC ETF options trading and allowed banks to expand crypto custody services. Today, the Senate voted to confirm Jonathan Gould as the OCC’s next Chair:

NEW: The Senate has confirmed Gould in a vote of 50-45. https://t.co/qOVtXXsid4

Gould has a long career in the industry: before his OCC nomination, he was the Chief Legal Officer at BitFury, a blockchain infrastructure firm.

President Trump handpicked him to head this office several months ago, and his impending confirmation could speed up several outstanding policy issues.

The OCC is primarily responsible for overseeing the US banking sector, which could give Gould a lot of influence over crypto during his five-year term. During his previous time as the OCC’s chief counsel, he was firmly pro-crypto and supported friendly stablecoin regulation.

Now that he’s set to take charge at the OCC, Gould could further promote integration between crypto and banking. One possible action to support this WOULD be declaring stablecoins integral to the financial infrastructure or issuing pro-crypto guidelines.

This is quite an improvement from the systemic debanking campaigns of a few years ago.

Still, there are a few concerns that this strategy might have a significant downside. If Gould moves to make the OCC a pro-crypto tool, it’ll centralize regulatory authority away from state control.

However, if anti-crypto political figures seize the federal apparatus, it would be more difficult for local jurisdictions to continue their supportive policies.

Ultimately, though, it’s difficult to predict long-term political ramifications in this highly unstable moment.