Coming Soon: The OCC’s Fintech Innovation Office

Coming soon: An innovation office to work with fintech upstarts poised to disrupt to the industry. 

The Office of Comptroller of the Currency that regulates and supervises banks plans to set up a dedicated “fintech innovation office” early next year with branches in New York, San Francisco and Washington.

In an attempt to “identify, understand and respond” to the changing banking landscape, the OCC said that the unit will establish an outreach and technical assistance program for banks and nonbanks, conduct research and promote inter-agency collaboration and act as a point of contact for information and requests.

“By establishing an Office of Innovation, we are ensuring that institutions with federal charters have a regulatory framework that is receptive to responsible innovation and the supervision that supports it,” said OCC chief Thomas Curry.

Last month, Curry said that his office was evaluating the “unique risks” fintech companies might pose to the banking system under a less favorable credit cycle. The OCC also plans to release a paper in the next two months raising issues with a limited-purpose charter for nonbanks similar to credit card banks and non-deposit taking entities.