InfoBytes Blog
Fed approves establishment of federally-licensed branch of Dutch payment company
On May 24, the Federal Reserve Board announced its approval of the application of a Dutch- based payment company to establish a federally-licensed branch in San Francisco. According to the order, since the company currently does not have a U.S. banking presence, its U.S. payment processing business will rely on third-party banks. Upon establishment of the San Francisco branch, the company’s operations would be transferred to the branch, and it would be eligible to engage in a wide range of payments processing and related banking activities in the U.S., thus reducing its dependence on third-party banks. Through the establishment of the branch, “the company proposes to bring its U.S. activities and operations in line with those conducted under its European Central Bank (ECB) license,” the Fed noted. The order also pointed out that “managerial and other financial resources of the company are considered consistent with approval, and the company appears to have the experience and capacity to support the proposed branch.” In addition, the company has initiated controls and procedures for its proposed branch to guarantee compliance with U.S. law and for its operations in general.