Custodia Bank Loses Federal Reserve Master Account Appeal After Five-Year Legal Battle

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit rejected Custodia Bank's appeal for direct Federal Reserve payment system access on Friday. The three-judge panel upheld the Fed's authority to deny master account applications, ending the Wyoming crypto bank's multi-year legal effort. The ruling affirms the central bank retains broad discretion over which institutions may access its payment infrastructure.