Former Acting Comptroller of the Currency Brian Brooks had a big impact on the OCC, pulling the focus of the organization towards digital assets.
During his term, the OCC published three interpretive letters, clarifying that banks can use stablecoins, offer crypto custody, and operate nodes on blockchain networks. Brooks also pushed for crypto companies to be able to secure national banking charters, paving the way for BitPay and Paxos to get access to the nationwide financial system without needing to be licensed as a money transmitter.
Before leaving the OCC, Brooks debuted the idea of "country coin" — a government-backed cryptocurrency reward system designed to promote education and economic growth in developing countries. Since then, he has joined Binance.US as CEO, and is set to lead the exchange in making crypto more accessible to U.S. citizens.