Another Appointment from the US to Rejoice the Cryptocurrency World – Appointed to a Critical Position

The US Senate has confirmed the appointment of former blockchain company executive Jonathan Gould to head the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) by a vote of 50-45. Following his confirmation, the dossier was sent to President Donald Trump for his final signature. Gould previously served as general counsel at Bitfury, a blockchain technology developer. Prior to that role, he served as senior vice president and general counsel at the OCC. Trump nominated Gould for OCC chair in February. In a procedural roll call conducted before the vote, cryptocurrency advocate Senator Cynthia Lummis voted against Gould's nomination. According to Punchbowl News reporter Brendan Pedersen, Lummis's spokesperson stated that the senator wanted to have further discussions with Gould on stablecoin regulations and the overriding of federal banking laws over state ones. However, Lummis ultimately voted yes, supporting Gould's confirmation. Gould's presidential confirmation comes as the US Congress is rapidly moving forward with cryptocurrency regulation. Next week is declared "Crypto Week," and the House of Representatives will debate the GENIUS Act, a stablecoin bill. The bill aims to fully back stablecoins with US dollars or similar liquid assets, mandate annual audits for issuers with a market capitalization exceeding $50 billion, and establish rules for foreign stablecoin issuers. The OCC continued to take crypto-friendly steps through 2025. The agency clarified that U.S. banks could trade crypto assets on their own behalf and announced that it would remove "reputational risk" clauses from its guidelines. *This is not investment advice.