A top regulator quietly determined during the final days of the Trump presidency that banks are legally allowed to trade cryptocurrencies on behalf of clients, in what could be a major breakthrough for the digital assets, according to people familiar with the matter.

The decision by staff at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency — which has never been made public — could open the door to a whole range of lucrative activities by banks in the red-hot virtual currency market by allowing them to briefly hold crypto assets on their own books to facilitate trades. It also serves as a window into the type of internal documents at financial regulatory agencies that shape policy behind the scenes. POLITICO 10/22/21 .......THIS IS A PLOT UNDERMINE US DOLLAR WITH CRYPTO CRAP