# OCC Clears One Bank to Hold Crypto for Network Fees Under Its Request

By Riza Dagoc

Canonical URL: https://www.tokenpost.com/news/regulation/38760
Published: 2026-10-23T06:30:56.000Z
Updated: 2026-10-23T06:30:56.000Z
Section: Regulation

> The Nov. 18, 2025, interpretation covers only amounts the bank reasonably expects to need for fees and amounts needed to test otherwise permissible crypto-asset-related platforms.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency concluded that one bank may hold limited crypto assets for network fees and platform testing, subject to the specific facts and qualifications in its proposal.

The Nov. 18, 2025, interpretation limits fee-related holdings to amounts necessary for network fees the bank reasonably foresees needing. It also permits the bank to hold amounts necessary to test otherwise permissible crypto-asset-related platforms.

The bank proposed keeping its holdings de minimis relative to its capital and said it would conduct a risk and compliance assessment covering technical, operational, cybersecurity, liquidity, illicit-finance, legal and regulatory risks.

Ethereum transactions involving other crypto assets still require a network fee paid in Ether (ETH), the network’s native asset. Obtaining ETH separately can add operational steps, expose users to price changes and delay transactions. For permissible customer custody transactions, the bank may pay network fees as a courtesy to customers.

The interpretation is limited to the facts and qualifications in the bank’s request. It did not determine whether holding crypto as principal, by itself, falls within the business of banking.