Kraken has won approval for the creation of a new US bank, bringing the traditional financial industry and cryptocurrency market closer.
In an announcement last week[1], the cryptocurrency exchange said the US state of Wyoming has approved an application to form the first Special Purpose Depository Institution (SPDI), a bank which will "largely" be regulated in the same way as a standard bank, according to the company.
The SPDI, likely to be named Kraken Financial, will be headquartered in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Managed under state and federal law, the bank "will be the first regulated, US bank to provide comprehensive deposit-taking, custody, and fiduciary services for digital assets," Kraken says.
See also: IRS offers grants for software to trace privacy-focused cryptocurrency trades[2]
Kraken has previously relied on third-party financial services and products to facilitate wire transfers, but now the SPDI bank charter is in the place, the firm is able to develop solutions to form a bridge between crypto-based services and traditional banking in-house.
Wyoming's SPDI charter is a framework[3] designed with cryptocurrencies and other virtual assets in mind. A traditional bank will hold and protect customer deposits; whereas a custody bank may also deal with assets and market trading.
An SPDI bank will act as a custody bank, but for digital assets.
"It is likely that many SPDIs will focus heavily on digital assets, such as virtual currencies, digital securities, and utility tokens," the Wyoming division of banking says. "SPDIs may focus on traditional assets as well."
CNET: Lawsuit accuses Instagram of peeping with iPhone camera[4]
Cryptocurrencies are increasing in popularity and scope every year, but as they are not generally backed by physical assets -- such as gold or fiat currency --