Trump crypto executive order to integrate fintech into Fed payment rails

President Donald Trump signed a “crypto executive order” directing the U.S. Federal Reserve and federal financial regulators to reduce regulatory barriers between crypto/fintech firms and insured depository institutions. The “crypto executive order” centers on payments infrastructure, including potential pathways to Fed services linked to Fedwire and other central bank payment rails. Within 90 days, the SEC, CFTC, OCC and other agency heads must review and streamline rules that slow fintech partnerships with banks, broker-dealers, and investment advisers. In parallel, regulators are asked to speed up and simplify applications for national bank trust charters and federal insurance for alternative entities. Within 120 days, the Federal Reserve Board must assess how non-bank financial companies and uninsured depository institutions that manage digital assets can obtain direct access to Fed payment services, with risk management safeguards. The administration frames the move as a way to curb “Operation Chokepoint 2.0”-style debanking risks, where crypto firms relied on intermediaries via Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS). For traders, the key takeaway is that direct Fed payment access could lower settlement frictions, reduce counterparty and single-bank dependency risks, and improve institutional fiat on/off-ramps—supportive for crypto payment demand and stablecoin-adjacent settlement activity, though the changes hinge on upcoming regulatory implementations.