2025-02-14
President Donald Trump has nominated
Jonathan Gould, a former executive at blockchain firm Bitfury, to lead the
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the U.S. agency responsible
for regulating national banks.
The Office of the Comptroller of the
Currency (OCC) is an independent bureau within the U.S. Department of the
Treasury responsible for regulating and supervising national banks, federal
savings associations, and federally licensed branches and agencies of foreign
banks in the United States.
The OCC's mission is to ensure that
national banks and federal savings associations operate in a safe and sound
manner, provide fair access to financial services, treat customers fairly, and
comply with applicable laws and regulations.
The OCC is headed by the Comptroller of
the Currency, who is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate for
a five-year term.
The comptroller also serves as a
director of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).
The nomination was submitted to the
Senate on February 11, 2025.
Gould's professional background
includes serving as the OCC's senior deputy comptroller and chief counsel from
2018 to 2021 during Trump's previous administration.
After his tenure at the OCC, he became
the chief legal officer at Bitfury, a blockchain technology company, and later
joined the law firm Jones Day as a partner.
If confirmed by the Senate, Gould would
assume a five-year term as Comptroller of the Currency.
His nomination is part of a broader
strategy by the Trump administration to appoint individuals with experience in
both traditional finance and cryptocurrency to key regulatory positions.
This approach aims to foster innovation
within the financial sector while ensuring effective oversight.
