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The U.S. Senate has confirmed Jonathan Gould as the new Comptroller of the Currency, marking a significant leadership shift at the helm of one of the nation’s key banking regulators. Gould, nominated by President Donald Trump, will serve a five-year term at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).
The Senate confirmed Gould in a 50–45 vote on Thursday. He returns to the OCC after previously serving as Senior Deputy Comptroller and Chief Counsel from 2018 to 2021. Most recently, he was a partner at Jones Day, a Cleveland-based law firm, and previously held the role of Chief Legal Officer at blockchain infrastructure firm Bitfury.
Gould’s confirmation aligns with a broader reshuffling of U.S. financial regulatory leadership under President Trump, following his 2024 election victory. Other recent appointments include Paul Atkins to chair the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), with a pending confirmation for Brian Quintenz as head of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
Some observers have noted a trend in the administration’s regulatory picks toward individuals with crypto industry ties. Gould’s background at Bitfury and legal expertise in financial innovation signal a potentially more crypto-friendly posture at the OCC moving forward.
His appointment is expected to lead to the departure of Rodney E. Hood, who has been serving as Acting Comptroller. While the White House has yet to announce additional CFTC nominations beyond Quintenz, regulatory leadership transitions continue to unfold.
Gould is the latest in a line of former OCC leaders to maintain ties with the digital assets sector. Brian Brooks, who briefly led the OCC from 2020 to 2021, also served at Bitfury and Coinbase, and currently sits on the board of directors at the fintech firm Strategy.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate is working toward introducing a comprehensive digital asset market structure bill by September 30, aimed at clarifying regulatory oversight for crypto markets. In parallel, House Republicans are advancing the Digital Asset Market Clarity (CLARITY) Act, which passed committee review in June.
As the legislative and regulatory environment for digital assets continues to evolve, Gould’s appointment places an experienced legal and fintech insider at the center of the U.S. banking and digital finance policy landscape.
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