Anchorage Digital, the first federally chartered digital asset bank, has shared survey results that show OCC approval “gives Americans greater confidence in cryptocurrency.”
The team at Anchorage Digital writes in a blog post that as the volume of conversation around cryptocurrency and digital assets continues to grow, they think “understanding and evaluating public perceptions of the emerging crypto economy is critical.”
Anchorage’s recent polling suggests that many Americans “believe crypto will be important to the US economy, are receptive to the idea of increased regulatory oversight of cryptocurrency, and are encouraged by federal approval of digital asset banks.”
Anchorage Digital says that its results illustrate that many “are interested in the federal government developing a clear and comprehensive plan to oversee the emerging cryptocurrency industry.”
According to the update, incomplete views on the importance of cryptocurrency also “reveal the critical role that federally approved partners can play in developing solutions for those who may be less familiar with cryptocurrency.”
The survey, carried out by YouGov in collaboration with Anchorage Digital Bank, reveals that “while many Americans are unsure if cryptocurrency will be important to the future economic success of the United States, they are far more likely to agree than disagree that more regulation is needed” in order for cryptocurrency to gain acceptance in America:
- A substantial share of Americans (30%) “think cryptocurrency will be important to the future economic success of the United States, while slightly more (32%) do not know enough to rate the potential impact of cryptocurrency.”
- Americans are “more likely to agree that regulatory oversight would help cryptocurrency gain acceptance in the United States.” Americans are “three times more likely to agree than disagree (39% vs. 13%) that we need more of the activities associated with cryptocurrency to be overseen by regulators to gain acceptance.”
Although many are neutral or uncertain about the impact of the OCC charter, Americans are “more likely to agree than to disagree that OCC oversight is a step in the right direction for the US economy (32%), knowing their financial institutions work with partners approved by the OCC would give them more confidence in crypto investment (28%) and OCC oversight of a federally chartered digital bank would make them more optimistic about the future of cryptocurrency in the US overall (25%).”
The team at Anchorage further noted:
“Following approval by the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) in early 2021, Anchorage Digital became the first federally-chartered digital asset bank. Throughout the year, increased attention and engagement with cryptocurrency has shown the need for additional regulatory clarity to support consumer protection and confidence in these emerging digital assets.”
They added that as we move into 2022, the team believes it is important “for trusted private businesses to collaborate with the federal government as they formalize regulatory frameworks surrounding cryptocurrency and digital assets.”
The team at Anchorage Digital added that they are “looking forward to working with stakeholders from across the private and public sectors to provide clarity and confidence to businesses, regulators, and most importantly — the American public.”
Anchorage Digital’s Co-Founder and CEO, Nathan McCauley stated:
“As Americans’ exposure to the emerging crypto economy continues to increase in 2022, we believe that — rather than actively resisting any kind of regulatory oversight — crypto companies can further bolster consumer confidence by working hand-in-hand with the federal government.”
Survey Methodology
YouGov carried out an online survey “on behalf of Anchorage among a nationally representative sample of n=1,155 US Adults.”
Fieldwork was “executed from December 17th through December 20th, 2021. All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc.”
The survey was reportedly “carried out online” and the figures have been “weighted and are representative of all US adults (aged 18+).”
For more details on this update including the complete survey results, click here.