In the absence of active enforcement by federal banking regulators, many financial institutions are choosing this moment to take a second look at their compliance policies and procedures. Recent administrative actions implicating access to financial services may particularly require financial institutions to reevaluate their Consumer Due Diligence (CDD) procedures and Consumer Identification Program (CIP).

On May 7, 2025, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) published Interpretive Letter 1184 (“IL 1184”), which confirms that national banks may execute and settle digital asset trades on behalf of their customers, so long as the bank acts in an agency capacity and the activity is conducted in a safe and sound manner.

On April 24, 2025, the Federal Reserve Board (Board) announced that it had withdrawn key supervisory guidance published during the prior Administration that, for more than two years, had constrained state member banks and other Board-supervised banking organizations from engaging in digital asset activities.