Share this article

OCC Halts Fair Access Banking Rule

The rule would have prohibited U.S. banks from denying services based on ideological factors.

Updated Sep 14, 2021, 11:02 a.m. Published Jan 28, 2021, 5:50 p.m.
occ logo

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency on Thursday put former acting Comptroller Brian Brooks' controversial "fair access" banking rule on hold pending a review by the new administration.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters

  • Brooks' so-called "fair access" rule sought to prohibit federally chartered banks from denying financial services such as lending to would-be clients on political or ideological grounds.
  • While the rule never mentioned cryptocurrencies, it came as welcome news to businesses in the space, which have long struggled to obtain or keep bank accounts in the U.S.
  • The OCC rushed to finalize the rule before the end of President Donald Trump's term, but it was never published in the Federal Register.
  • Proponents have claimed the rule was a necessary check on politically motivated financial exclusion. Detractors have blasted the proposal for being far from fair.
  • The next OCC head will review the rule once he or she is confirmed, OCC said in a statement.

OPINION: We Don’t Need the OCC’s ‘Political Discrimination’ Rule

More For You

Protocol Research: GoPlus Security

GP Basic Image

What to know:

  • As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
  • GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
  • Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.

More For You

Coinbase deepens India presence after approval of CoinDCX deal

Coinbase

The approval follows a challenging year for CoinDCX which included a significant security breach, though customer funds remained safe.

What to know:

  • India's competition regulator has approved Coinbase's acquisition of a minority stake in CoinDCX, enhancing its presence in the Indian crypto market.
  • The approval follows a challenging year for CoinDCX, including a significant security breach, though customer funds remained safe.
  • Coinbase is renewing its focus on India, resuming user registrations and planning to introduce a rupee on-ramp in 2026.