Needham Sees Material Upside for Affirm After Bank-Charter Move
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Bridge wins initial OCC approval for national trust bank charter
Bridge, owned by Stripe, won conditional authorization from the OCC to organize a federally chartered national trust bank, creating a supervised vehicle to issue and custody stablecoins. The decision arrives amid parallel regulatory moves — CFTC guidance clarifying trust-bank issuance and industry pushback from the ABA — underscoring both a clearer compliance path and ongoing political and supervisory debate.
Nomura’s Laser Digital Seeks U.S. National Trust Charter as Crypto Firms Move Onshore
Nomura’s crypto unit Laser Digital has applied to the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency for a national trust bank charter, aiming to expand custody and trading services under federal oversight. The move fits a broader rush by crypto and fintech firms to secure federal charters that streamline cross-state operations and reinforce regulatory compliance.
Erebor Wins U.S. National Bank Charter, Positions Itself as Crypto and Deep-Tech Lender
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has granted a national bank charter to Erebor, a crypto-friendly startup bank launching with substantial committed capital and high-profile venture backers; the bank will accept FDIC-insured deposits and target lending to venture-stage tech firms using crypto-collateral and near-continuous blockchain settlement rails. The approval arrives amid a broader wave of crypto and fintech firms pursuing federal charters — including recent national trust-charter filings — and underscores the OCC’s staged, conditional-approval approach to onshore crypto banking.
Deutsche Bank Raises Rating on Airbnb After Q4 Beat and AI-Driven Product Gains
Deutsche Bank upgraded Airbnb to a buy and lifted its price target after a fourth-quarter revenue beat and signs that AI and fresh product features are beginning to lift conversion. The bank cited higher near-term revenue guidance and product initiatives—including a flexible payment option and simplified host fees—as reasons the risk-reward profile has improved.
Jefferies: Alphabet’s big capex plan brightens Broadcom’s AI outlook; analyst sees ~60% upside
Jefferies says Alphabet’s raised 2026 capex outlook strengthens the case for a near‑term hyperscaler buildout that expands demand for accelerators and networking silicon, prompting the firm to lift its Broadcom price target (implying ~60–62% upside). The analyst’s bottom‑up model forecasts roughly six million server‑accelerator units in an initial Google deployment window with Broadcom expected to win the majority of first volumes, but realization depends on design‑win conversion, substrate/packaging/test throughput and broader market caution about heavy upfront capex.
Goldman Starts Coverage of Energy Fuels, Sees Substantial Upside on Uranium and Rare-Earth Tailwinds
Goldman Sachs initiated coverage of Energy Fuels with a buy rating and a $30 per-share target, arguing the miner’s U.S.-based processing mill and uranium asset base position it to benefit from renewed uranium market momentum and policy-driven rare-earth onshoring. The bank cites strengthening uranium futures and recent sector rallies as near-term catalysts that complement a longer-term supply-chain diversification thesis.
First Citizens moves to push assets past $250B, eyes KeyCorp deal
First Citizens is evaluating acquisition options to push its assets beyond a $250 billion regulatory threshold, engaging advisers to build potential transaction lists. One of the targets under consideration is KeyCorp, as the bank seeks scale to better absorb rising compliance and regulatory costs.
Equifax lifts 2026 profit outlook after mortgage business fuels quarterly beat
Equifax posted fourth-quarter results that exceeded analyst models, driven by a sharp gain in U.S. mortgage revenue, and issued 2026 guidance that the company says should outpace consensus. Management framed the outlook conservatively while signaling that wider adoption of its VantageScore mortgage product could widen margins amid competitive pressure from FICO's direct-to-lender initiative.