Caitlin Long Starts the First Crypto-Native Bank in the US

Published at: Feb. 24, 2020

Caitlin Long, a former Wall Street executive who has helped Wyoming enact 13 blockchain-enabling laws, is taking advantage of the progressive Wyoming legislature to establish a first crypto-native bank in the U.S. The bank’s name is Avanti, which means “forward” in Italian.

Long made this announcement earlier today in a series of 29 tweets. She believes that “a critical piece of U.S. market infrastructure is missing – a regulated bank that can act as a bridge to the Federal Reserve for payments and [offer] custody for BIG institutional money.”

1/ INTRODUCING AVANTI BANK, a new US #bank to serve #digitalasset industry, offering new products & svcs not currently available in USD mkts along w/ tech partner @Blockstream. #Wyoming-based. We’re preparing long process of charter application & aim to open early 2021. @AvantiBT pic.twitter.com/fpnN6qBBhW

— Caitlin Long 🔑 (@CaitlinLong_) February 24, 2020

Long thanked Wyoming governor Mark Gordon for making this possible, as Avanti takes advantage of the special-purpose depository institution law “which is the optimal regulatory-compliant structure in the U.S. for providing financial services around crypto.” 

Cointelegraph spoke to Caitlin Long regarding the launch:

“There’s not a bank in the US that can custody crypto right now – so this means trust company custodians are the only alternative at present. But trust companies can’t offer the risk reduction benefits of direct access to the Fed.”

Strict regulation

However, Long notes that this special-purpose depository law has stringent regulatory requirements. According to this law, all deposits — in the case of Avanti, crypto deposits — must be 100% reserved. Avanti will also not be allowed to use deposits for any financial operations of its own — a practice known as “rehypothecation.” Strict Know Your Customer standard must be applied. “DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT trying to use Avanti for illegal/nefarious purposes!!!!!!!!!,” warns Long in a tweet.

Strange bedfellows

Long stated that she has had many long conversations with Adam Back, CEO and founder of Blockstream and an early contributor to Bitcoin, prior to starting Avanti. She believes that Blockstream is an “ideal partner for serving BIG institutional investors that require regulated banks to deliver them services around bitcoin in USD markets.”

However, she states that Avanti will stay “protocol neutral” and will welcome all cryptocurrencies demanded by clients. According to Long, we can also expect to see: 

“STRANGE BEDFELLOWS because it’ll attract the best from the crypto & traditional worlds. I’m comfortable + have deep relationships in both worlds & I am equally comfy in NYC’s concrete canyons as in the wilds of Wyoming.”

Long expects Avanti to open its doors in early 2021. If Long is right that could lead to the influx of a significant amount of new liquidity to the market.

This story was updated at 1.20pm EST/02.25.2020 with Caitlin Long's response

Tags
Related Posts
Crypto banks are the sector’s game-changers
The crypto space has come a long way since its inception in 2008. Many areas have improved over the last 12 years, such as custody and exchange solutions. If you ask the early adopters of crypto, they can tell you stories about how hard it was to set up a wallet or how cumbersome it was to go to a meetup and exchange Bitcoin (BTC) without being scammed. Since then, things have changed for the better when it comes to user experience and user interface. Nowadays, creating a cryptocurrency wallet is as easy as setting up an email address. The …
Blockchain / Dec. 17, 2020
JPMorgan Provides Banking Services to Crypto Exchanges Coinbase and Gemini
JPMorgan Chase, the United States’ largest bank, has reportedly taken on U.S. cryptocurrency exchanges Coinbase and Gemini as customers. A report from the Wall Street Journal on May 12 cited unnamed sources apparently familiar with the matter, who highlighted that the move is the first time the banking giant has served clients from the crypto industry. Both exchange accounts were reportedly accepted in April, with transactions now starting to be processed, sources told the WSJ. JPMorgan Chase is not processing Bitcoin (BTC) or other cryptocurrency transactions on behalf of the exchanges but is providing cash-management services and handling dollar transactions …
Adoption / May 12, 2020
Wyoming Unveils First-Ever Crypto Custody Rules for ‘Blockchain Banks’
The United States’ state of Wyoming has unveiled a series of opt-in custody rules for its so-dubbed “blockchain banks,” covering areas such as forks, airdrops and staking. The rules were announced during the Fordham Law Blockchain Regulatory Symposium in New York on Nov. 11, according to a thread of tweets published by Wyoming Blockchain Task Force president Caitlin Long. “First-ever” regulatory provisions for crypto custodians in many areas Wyoming’s “blockchain banks” — legally known as “special purpose depository institutions” (SPDIs) — were approved by the Wyoming state legislature in February of this year and were introduced to serve those businesses …
Blockchain / Nov. 12, 2019
US Senate allows Virginia banks to offer crypto custody services
The United States Senate unanimously approved a bill amendment request that now allows traditional banks operating in the Commonwealth of Virginia to provide virtual currency custody services. Delegate Christopher T. Head introduced the bill (House Bill No. 263) back in January 2022, seeking an amendment to allow eligible banks to offer crypto custody services: “A bank may provide its customers with virtual currency custody services so long as the bank has 26 adequate protocols in place to effectively manage risks and comply with applicable laws.” The bill passed Senate with a sweeping 39-0 vote and is waiting to be signed …
Adoption / March 5, 2022
Trouble brewing for the US: Two-thirds of TradFi expects a 2023 recession
The United States economy could be in for an upset. Data from a Wall Street Journal survey revealed financial experts expect the country to face an economic downturn this year. Over two-thirds of economists at 23 major financial institutions that do business with the Federal Reserve believe the U.S. will have a “shallow” or “mild” recession in 2023. Two of the surveyed institutions predict a recession for the following year. The research included big names in the financial services sector, such as Barclays PLC, Bank of America Corp., TD Securities and UBS Group AG. Collectively the Federal Reserve was named …
Regulation / Jan. 2, 2023