FDIC proposals lead regulatory and charter actions

FDIC proposed lower deposit-insurance assessment costs. The proposal would raise the large-bank assessment threshold from $10 billion to $30 billion, shift 76 institutions into small-bank treatment for assessment purposes, and reduce industry assessments by an estimated $4 billion annually. The FDIC board voted unanimously to advance the proposed rule.

FDIC proposed lighter resolution-plan filings while Michelle Bowman said the Fed finalized a supervision overhaul. The FDIC would raise the covered-bank threshold from $50 billion to $100 billion, cutting current filers to 32 from 48 and moving filings to a three-year cycle. Bowman said the Fed's new structure will refocus supervision on financial risks tied to bank failures rather than procedural violations.

Morgan Stanley won conditional OCC approval for a digital-asset trust bank. Morgan Stanley Digital Trust National Association would be a wholly owned subsidiary focused on custody of certain digital assets and related services, subject to operating as a trust company and maintaining at least $50 million of tier 1 capital. A separate American Banker analysis said OCC chartering rules issued in February expanded national trust-charter activities to include lending, payments, and potentially deposit-taking, framing charter scope and preemption as live competitive-policy questions.

Visa added AI and stablecoin-linked payments collaborations. American Banker reported that Visa recently entered collaborations with AI-focused and stablecoin payment technology firms, including adding Alchemy's AgentCard to its Intelligent Commerce AI portal. The article attributed the investor relevance to value-added services revenue and quoted William Blair analysts saying investors will view Visa value-added services as supporting open networks, secure agentic transactions, open banking, and fintech road maps.

SAFE Banking Act was reintroduced in Congress. The bill would prevent regulators from prohibiting or discouraging financial institutions from serving cannabis businesses in states where it is legal. It would also clarify that proceeds from state-legal marijuana businesses are not proceeds from unlawful activity under anti-money-laundering laws, preserving the item as a compliance and AML policy issue rather than an enacted safe harbor.