Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase and payments company Ivy Koin have met with FDIC officials in recent weeks to explore obtaining a banking license; there would be many benefits to getting a banking license, chief among them would be FDIC insurance which would provide a level of legitimacy crypto firms have yet to achieve; the move would provide firms with the ability to show customers they are more secure by being a regulated bank, one of the drawbacks to their current structure is fear of the unknown; this would also enable companies to offer new products like a mortgage based off the crypto holdings on deposit, a credit card and various deposit accounts. Source.
