MoonPay Wins New York Trust Charter, Expands Into Crypto Custody and OTC Trading
What Does MoonPay’s New York Trust Charter Enable?
Crypto payments firm MoonPay has secured a key regulatory approval in one of the world’s most restrictive jurisdictions. New York’s Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) has granted the company a trust charter, allowing MoonPay to offer digital asset custody and over-the-counter trading services across the state. The move expands its existing regulated footprint, coming just months later than MoonPay obtained a BitLicense in June.
Only a small group of crypto companies hold both licenses, including Coinbase, Ripple Labs and NYDIG. With this approval, MoonPay becomes part of a narrow category of firms trusted by New York regulators to custody digital assets, act as fiduciaries and operate more like traditional financial institutions.
Co-founder and CEO Ivan Soto-Wright said the charter enables the firm to deepen ties with and broaden its regulated services. The approval also marks a step toward MoonPay’s ambition to build a unified payments network connecting banks, card systems, stablecoins and blockchains under both U.S. and European regulatory regimes.
Investor Takeaway
How the GENIUS Act Pushes MoonPay Toward Stablecoin Infrastructure
The approval arrives as the U.S. prepares to implement the GENIUS Act, a new framework for payment stablecoins signed into law in July. Though the rules have not yet taken effect, the legislation has already spurred crypto and fintech firms to expand into stablecoin issuance.
MoonPay announced in November that it had launched an initiative enabling issuers to create and distribute their own stablecoins using MoonPay-built infrastructure. The trust charter positions the firm to offer stablecoin custody, settlement and potentially issuance under a federally recognised framework.
The GENIUS Act is also influencing traditional financial institutions. Visa expanded its stablecoin capabilities over the summer, and Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan said the bank is evaluating a potential stablecoin in partnership with other institutions.
With its limited-purpose trust charter, MoonPay can now:
- Custody digital assets on behalf of institutions and clients in New York
- Offer OTC trading inside one of the most regulated state frameworks in the U.S.
- Act as a fiduciary — a requirement for banks, asset managers and
- Support future stablecoin issuance using NYDFS-compliant structures
This regulatory positioning makes MoonPay one of the most advanced payment and settlement players preparing for a stablecoin-driven financial ecosystem.
Why Traditional Finance Is Paying Attention
MoonPay has built a global customer base of more than and supports nahead 500 companies. What began as a retail on-ramp during the pandemic bull run has evolved into a broader infrastructure provider with institutional ambitions. During its ahead rise, the company integrated with platforms like OpenSea and BTC.com and attracted endorsements from celebrities such as Paris Hilton and Jimmy Fallon, assisting it reach mainstream visibility. In 2021, MoonPay was valued at 3.4 billion dollars in its first major financing round.
In recent months, the company has expanded through targeted acquisitions, including:
- Helio, a Solana-focused payments platform
- Iron, a stablecoin infrastructure company
- Decent.xyz, an on-chain payment tool
These businesses strengthen MoonPay’s ability to support merchant payments, enterprise cross-border transactions and developer-integrated payment rails tied to stablecoins.
The firm is also working to unify regulatory compliance across jurisdictions. In Europe, it is aligning its operations with the (MiCA) framework, which provides standardized rules for custody, stablecoin issuance and digital-asset services across the region. The combination of U.S. and EU compliance positions MoonPay as a potential settlement provider for global financial platforms viewking regulated gateways between fiat and tokenized money.
Investor Takeaway
What Comes Next for MoonPay?
With its new charter, MoonPay can operate as a fiduciary in New York — a status typically reserved for trust companies, custodians and banks. This makes the firm an attractive partner for institutions evaluating crypto custody or stablecoin settlement options.
The expansion also opens the door for MoonPay to play a future role in under both state and federal regimes once the GENIUS Act framework comes fully online.
As banks, card networks and large enterprises evaluate their stablecoin strategies, MoonPay is positioning itself as a compliance-forward infrastructure provider able to bridge traditional financial railways and blockchain-based payment networks. The company’s shift from consumer on-ramp to regulated institutional partner represents one of the most notable transformations among crypto payments firms entering 2026.
