Gould brings extensive legal and regulatory experience, as he previously served as Bitfury’s chief legal officer, a partner at Jones Day, and the OCC’s senior deputy comptroller and chief counsel. His appointment is part of the broader reshaping of financial regulatory agencies under President Donald Trump, who has also nominated crypto-friendly figures like Paul Atkins to the SEC.
Jonathan Gould to Lead US Banking Watchdog
Jonathan Gould has been confirmed as the new head of the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) after a 50-45 vote in the Senate on Thursday. Gould previously served as chief legal officer for blockchain infrastructure firm Bitfury, and now brings a strong mix of legal and regulatory experience to the position. In addition to his role at Bitfury, he was a partner at Jones Day and previously served as the OCC’s senior deputy comptroller and chief counsel from 2018 to 2021.
Gould’s appointment is part of the shakeup of certain key financial regulatory bodies under President Donald Trump’s administration. Since taking office in January, Trump has overseen the confirmation of several high-profile nominees, including Paul Atkins to lead the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The Senate is also expected to vote soon on Brian Quintenz as chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
Gould’s confirmation is yet another instance where critics pointed to the Trump administration’s growing alignment with the cryptocurrency industry. Several of Trump’s picks, like Atkins, are seen as favorable to digital asset innovation. This could signal a huge policy shift toward crypto-friendly regulation.
With Gould now confirmed, acting OCC head Rodney E. Hood is expected to step down. Additionally, no other replacements for upcoming vacancies at the CFTC have been announced beyond Quintenz.
Interestingly, Gould is not the first Bitfury executive to transition into a key regulatory role. Brian Brooks, who served as acting Comptroller of the Currency from 2020 to 2021, was also briefly CEO of Bitfury and previously held top positions at Coinbase and Binance US. He currently sits on the board of directors at Strategy.
