Circle adds NYDFS trust charter after OCC bank approval

Circle has secured a New York trust charter to expand its state regulatory footprint.

According to an announcement from Circle on Friday, the stablecoin issuer has received a limited-purpose trust charter from the New York Department of Financial Services for Circle Internet Trust Company LLC, doing business as Circle New York Trust.

The approval gives Circle another regulatory authorization in New York, where the company says its global headquarters is located. Circle said the charter reinforces its compliance framework and builds on a relationship with the state regulator that began in 2015, when it became the first company to receive a BitLicense from the NYDFS.

The new authorization comes less than a month after Circle secured final approval from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to establish a federally supervised trust bank. While both approvals involve trust entities, they serve different regulatory roles within the U.S. financial system.

New York approval complements Circle’s federal trust bank

Earlier this month, the OCC approved the formation of First National Digital Currency Bank, N.A., which will operate as Circle National Trust under federal supervision for fiduciary digital asset custody. At the time, Circle said management of USDC reserves would remain outside the bank during its initial phase, with reserve activities expected to move later as the institution develops.

The New York charter follows a separate path. Circle had previously indicated that issuance of USDC would continue through a New York limited-purpose trust company rather than its federally chartered bank, making the latest approval an important part of its existing stablecoin structure.

In the official announcement, Circle co-founder, chairman and chief executive Jeremy Allaire said obtaining a New York trust charter had been a long-term objective because of the regulatory clarity associated with the state’s framework.

Allaire also described the NYDFS as an international standard setter for digital asset regulation and said the approval places USDC within what he called a strong and respected regulatory framework as digital dollars become more important in global finance.

Circle deepens decade-long relationship with NYDFS

Circle’s latest approval extends a regulatory relationship with the NYDFS that spans more than a decade.

The company noted that it became the first recipient of a BitLicense in 2015, making New York one of the earliest jurisdictions to supervise its digital asset business. The newly granted trust charter adds another license under the same regulator as Circle continues operating regulated stablecoin services.

Unlike the federal OCC approval, which established a national trust bank, the New York authorization is issued at the state level and governs Circle New York Trust under NYDFS oversight.

The two approvals together expand Circle’s regulatory footprint without replacing one another, as each operates under a different legal framework.

Circle continues expanding infrastructure around USDC

The trust charter arrives during a period of continued expansion across Circle’s payments and blockchain infrastructure.

As crypto.news previously reported, Circle announced on July 27 that it had acquired more than 680 IBM patent families covering nearly 1,000 issued patents worldwide. According to the company, the portfolio spans blockchain infrastructure, banking, payments, enterprise systems, insurance, supply-chain verification and secure cloud operations, with intended support for products including USDC, Circle Payments Network and Arc.

Circle did not disclose financial terms for the patent acquisition or identify which patents directly relate to stablecoin issuance or payment infrastructure.

Earlier in July, Circle also signed separate memorandums of understanding with South Korea’s Kakao Group and fintech operator Toss to explore blockchain payments, cross-border settlement and stablecoin infrastructure. According to the companies, the discussions include possible connections between future KRW-denominated digital assets, USDC and existing financial networks, although no commercial launch has been announced.

Circle has also said it does not plan to issue its own won-denominated stablecoin, instead positioning USDC as infrastructure that could connect local digital currencies with international payment networks.

The latest New York approval adds another regulatory milestone as Circle continues building its stablecoin and payments business across both U.S. regulatory frameworks and overseas partnerships.