Senate Confirms Crypto-Linked Nominee Jonathan Gould to Head OCC

The U.S. Senate has confirmed Jonathan Gould as the next head of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), moving his nomination to President Donald Trump for final approval.

In a narrow 50–45 vote on Thursday, the Senate backed Gould, a former blockchain executive and longtime financial regulator. Gould previously served as chief legal officer at crypto infrastructure firm Bitfury and held senior roles at the OCC, including as senior deputy comptroller and chief counsel. President Trump nominated him for the role in February.

Despite her reputation as a pro-crypto lawmaker, Sen. Cynthia Lummis voted against Gould’s nomination during a procedural vote earlier in the day, as reported by Brendan Pedersen of Punchbowl News.

Under Gould’s potential leadership, the OCC may continue embracing digital assets. The agency has already taken several crypto-friendly steps this year, including issuing guidance that allows U.S. banks to buy and sell crypto assets on their own behalf.

Recent months have seen a steady increase in regulatory clarity for the U.S. crypto industry, particularly from banking and financial oversight bodies. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) issued new guidance this year allowing national banks to buy and sell cryptocurrencies on their own behalf, a move seen as a green light for broader institutional participation.

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Meanwhile, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) faces growing pressure to define clear rules for crypto assets, with calls from lawmakers and market participants to adopt a more industry-specific approach.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), under Chairman Rostin Behnam, has also ramped up enforcement efforts while signaling support for a dual regulatory framework. According to Reuters and Bloomberg, bipartisan momentum is building behind legislation that would assign primary oversight of crypto spot markets to the CFTC—a shift that could reshape the regulatory landscape for digital assets in the United States.

Kosta Gushterov

Kosta has been working in the crypto industry for over 4 years. He strives to present different perspectives on a given topic and enjoys the sector for its transparency and dynamism. In his work, he focuses on balanced coverage of events and developments in the crypto space, providing information to his readers from a neutral perspective.