The US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) just approved a major move—federally regulated banks under its supervision can now directly engage in cryptocurrency matching transactions, and it’s the kind where they don’t touch the principal and only earn service fees.

What does this mean? Traditional banks can now operate like trading platforms: Client A wants to sell Bitcoin, Client B wants to buy, and the bank matches the transaction and takes a commission. The key point is that the banks themselves don’t hold any crypto assets—they act purely as intermediaries, with zero risk exposure.

This move is basically a green light for the US banking industry—it allows them to enter the crypto market and earn service fees without bearing price fluctuation risks. For institutional clients, it provides a new trading channel backed by a licensed and regulated entity.