World Liberty Financial seeks national trust banking charter to expand USD stablecoin operations

World Liberty Financial is moving to deepen its role in the digital dollar ecosystem, positioning its USD stablecoin at the center of a new regulated banking structure.

WLTC Holdings seeks US trust bank license

WLTC Holdings, a subsidiary of World Liberty Financial, has filed an application for a national trust banking charter with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). The filing, submitted this week, aims to bring the issuance, custody and redemption of the USD1 token in-house under a federally supervised entity.

At present, World Liberty relies on third-party providers such as BitGo to support key functions around its stablecoin. However, the proposed charter would allow the group to manage the full lifecycle of USD1 internally, from minting to conversion and redemption, under one regulated framework.

World Liberty CEO Zach Witkoff said institutional clients are already using USD1 for cross-border payments, settlement and treasury operations. Moreover, he argued that concentrating issuance, custody and conversion within a single, regulated trust bank would streamline compliance and risk management for those clients.

Planned services and fee-free minting

The future trust bank, to be branded as World Liberty Trust Company, would target institutional customers including crypto exchanges, market makers and investment firms. It is designed to offer a suite of services around USD1 and other digital assets, with a particular focus on secure custody and transaction support.

Under the proposed structure, customers would be able to mint and redeem USD1 without fees. This fee free minting redemption model is intended to make the token more attractive for high-volume institutional users.

Additionally, the bank would provide stablecoin conversion services between US dollars and USD1, giving clients on-demand access to both fiat and on-chain liquidity.

The institution would also custody USD1 and other digital tokens for clients, reflecting a shift away from the current setup where external service providers handle storage and related operations. That said, the group still plans to work with select partners where additional infrastructure or market access is required.

Trump family links and ownership structure

World Liberty Financial maintains high-profile political connections. The companys website lists President Donald Trump as co-founder emeritus, while his three sons Eric Trump, Barron Trump and Donald Trump Jr. are named as co-founders. Moreover, the firm is partly owned by DT Marks DEFI LLC, an entity controlled by Trump and his family.

A spokesperson for World Liberty Financial clarified that the charter application was not filed by the operating company itself. Instead, the proposed trust bank, World Liberty Trust Company, submitted the request as a separate entity. The spokesperson stressed that the two organizations share branding and names but have distinct ownership and operating structures.

If the charter is approved, Witkoff would serve as president and chairman of the trust company. He emphasized that the governance framework was built to prevent conflicts of interest. However, he also noted that the Trump family would not act as executives or exercise day-to-day control over the trust companys business.

Governance separation and conflict mitigation

The separation between World Liberty Financial and World Liberty Trust Company is designed to address concerns about potential political conflicts. Given Trumps role as president when the companys profile rose, questions have emerged about how closely he and his family might be involved in operational decisions.

According to the spokesperson, the Trump family will remain investors with branding ties but will not participate in routine management at the trust bank. This structure aims to reassure regulators and institutional clients that supervisory and fiduciary decisions will be taken independently, under OCC oversight.

That said, public scrutiny is likely to continue, particularly if the trust bank gains significant market share in USD stablecoin custody and related services. Market participants will be watching how governance policies are implemented in practice once the entity becomes operational.

OCC stance on crypto and stablecoin charters

The filing comes as the OCC shows growing openness to digital asset banking models. In December, the regulator granted conditional approvals to five crypto-related firms: Circle, Ripple, Fidelity Digital Assets, BitGo and Paxos. These approvals allowed them to operate trust banks focused on custody and settlement of crypto assets.

This move marked a shift from the OCCs more cautious stance during the previous administration. Jonathan Gould, the current Comptroller of the Currency, has argued that new entrants bring fresh products and services to the US banking system. Moreover, he has said that such competition helps keep the sector dynamic and responsive to technological change.

In this context, the World Liberty application tests how far the OCC is prepared to go in authorizing institutions built around a stablecoin backed by USD. Market observers note that the charter would effectively place USD1 under the same federal trust banking framework as other large, regulated digital asset platforms.

Regulatory backdrop for US stablecoins

Stablecoins in the United States are now formally governed under the GENIUS Act, a law that Trump signed last year. The legislation sets a baseline oversight framework for tokens pegged to the US dollar and other reference assets, while leaving room for agencies to refine technical rules.

Federal bodies including the Treasury Department are still working through key regulatory provisions, such as reserve management, disclosure and interoperability standards. However, lawmakers are also preparing to vote on broader crypto market structure bills next Thursday, which could further reshape how stablecoin price usd dynamics interact with securities and commodities regulation.

Against this backdrop, World Libertys usd stablecoin strategy highlights how issuers are racing to align with federal bank-style supervision. The outcome of the OCC review, combined with upcoming legislative decisions, will help determine how USD1 and similar tokens compete in the regulated US financial system.

In summary, World Liberty Financials push for a national trust banking charter via WLTC Holdings reflects a bid to internalize USD1s issuance, custody and conversion under direct OCC oversight. If approved, the structure would offer fee-free minting and redemption, clearer governance separation from the Trump family, and a closer alignment with evolving US stablecoin regulation.