Last night, a seemingly dull document could potentially rewrite the entire game rules of the crypto market.

On December 31, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) issued a policy clarification letter. On the surface, it’s just a few official statements, but the core message is clear — nationwide banks can now legally act as intermediaries in cryptocurrency transactions.

How to understand this? Simply put: banks can buy Bitcoin from one party and immediately sell it to another, profiting from the spread, without bearing market volatility risk. The financial industry calls this "risk-free principal trading," which is a core liquidity provision mechanism in traditional markets.

This may seem like a permission issue, but the actual impact is much deeper. Previously, banks could only serve as "safes," holding assets for clients. Now? They are directly participating in market making and providing liquidity, becoming active market players. The result is: more capital flowing in, greater price stability, and tighter system integration — this goes beyond mere "positive news," representing a legalization and recognition at the infrastructure level.

When you read the news, the most common headlines are "Certain institution buys Bitcoin," but that’s just the surface. What truly changes the game are these seemingly insignificant rule reshuffles. Large institutions entering the market have always been silent, gradually opening within the regulatory framework. The bull market doesn’t arrive suddenly; it’s like laying bricks one by one in places you didn’t notice.