Trusted independent reportCross-border relevantPublication date verified
PYMNTS
Block Pursues National Trust Bank Charter to Custody Bitcoin and Stablecoins
WHAT HAPPENED
PYMNTS reports that Block submitted an application to the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to establish Builders Bank & Trust, N.A. If approved, the uninsured national trust bank would provide custody and related fiduciary services, including for bitcoin and stablecoins, under a federal supervisory framework. Block says it would not accept deposits or make loans and would be led by digital-asset executive Lee Woolley.
PUBLISHED September 9, 2026SOURCE PYMNTSLANE Web3 & stablecoin payments
KEY FIGURES
The original report did not disclose material figures that change this decision brief.
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
Watch whether follow-up sources disclose implementation dates, jurisdiction coverage, reporting duties, and the first affected products.
Readable PYMNTS report checked against Block's primary investor release. The application and proposed scope are company-confirmed; approval, operation and any resulting payment capability remain pending.
The page already presents the summary and analysis. This section keeps only the copy, download, and technical source record without repeating the same reading view.
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# Block Pursues National Trust Bank Charter to Custody Bitcoin and Stablecoins
> Evidence tier: B1
> Evidence type: Independent payments-trade report checked against Block's primary charter-application announcement
> Source: [PYMNTS](https://www.pymnts.com/cryptocurrency/2026/block-pursues-national-trust-bank-charter-to-custody-bitcoin-and-stablecoins)
> Published: 2026-09-09
> Captured: 2026-09-09T12:39:30.081Z
## Source summary
PYMNTS reports that Block submitted an application to the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to establish Builders Bank & Trust, N.A. If approved, the uninsured national trust bank would provide custody and related fiduciary services, including for bitcoin and stablecoins, under a federal supervisory framework. Block says it would not accept deposits or make loans and would be led by digital-asset executive Lee Woolley.
## Why it matters
A national trust charter could place Block's digital-asset custody under one federal framework and support infrastructure used around stablecoin services. This is only an application: the OCC has not approved the charter, Builders Bank is not operating, and the announcement does not create an insured bank, deposit product, lending business, payment corridor or live stablecoin settlement rail. No decision timetable, capital plan, custody assets or client launch was disclosed.
## Key numbers
No independently checkable key number was extracted from this report.
## Topics and entities
- Industry lane: Web3 & stablecoin payments
- Entities: Block / Builders Bank & Trust
- Web3 payments
- Payment infrastructure
## Evidence and credibility note
Readable PYMNTS report checked against Block's primary investor release. The application and proposed scope are company-confirmed; approval, operation and any resulting payment capability remain pending.
Date evidence: PYMNTS article metadata timestamp 2026-09-09T00:41:07Z; visible article date September 8, 2026
## First-party corroboration
- [https://investors.block.xyz/investor-news/news-details/2026/Block-Applies-to-Establish-Builders-Bank-a-National-Trust-Bank/default.aspx](/en/items/https://investors.block.xyz/investor-news/news-details/2026/Block-Applies-to-Establish-Builders-Bank-a-National-Trust-Bank/default.aspx)
## Original-source traceback
[Open the original PYMNTS report](https://www.pymnts.com/cryptocurrency/2026/block-pursues-national-trust-bank-charter-to-custody-bitcoin-and-stablecoins)
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