Zerohash launches address-free transfer tool as its trust-charter bid stays stuck

Zerohash, the Chicago crypto-infrastructure firm, used the Money20/20 conference in Las Vegas to launch AUTH, a service that lets people move crypto between linked accounts without copying a wallet address or picking a blockchain network, CoinDesk reported on Oct. 19. Apps that integrate AUTH let a user select a linked account or wallet, sign in, and approve the transfer; Zerohash handles the routing and settlement, while each app decides which assets, accounts and transfer types it permits.

The company says AUTH works across crypto, stablecoins and blockchain-based securities such as tokenized stocks, and supports more than 600 connections. Its own developer documentation, per CoinDesk, lists 639 wallets and just four exchange or brokerage accounts — so the "600+" figure is almost entirely self-custody wallets, not exchanges. Coinbase, Robinhood and Gemini are live; Kraken is in beta. Running AUTH is Ryan Beaudry, named general manager, previously an EVP for open finance at Mastercard.

The launch lands while Zerohash's regulatory standing is unsettled. In July, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency returned the firm's application for a national trust bank charter — a step the OCC takes when it deems a filing materially deficient. Zerohash characterized the return as an administrative matter and refiled a narrower application on Aug. 18. That application is still pending.

Key facts

• AUTH launched at Money20/20 in Las Vegas; moves crypto between linked accounts without copying addresses or selecting a chain — Zerohash via CoinDesk, Oct. 19.
• Supports 600+ connections; developer docs list 639 wallets and 4 exchange/brokerage accounts. Coinbase, Robinhood, Gemini live; Kraken in beta — CoinDesk citing Zerohash docs.
• GM Ryan Beaudry, formerly EVP of global product and operations for open finance at Mastercard — Zerohash statement.
• OCC returned Zerohash's national trust bank charter application in July; firm refiled a narrower version Aug. 18, still pending — CoinDesk.
• Founded 2017; operates regulated entities in 51 U.S. jurisdictions plus the EU, Latin America and Bermuda; provides crypto infrastructure for Morgan Stanley's E*Trade — CoinDesk/Zerohash website.
• Mastercard acquisition talks collapsed earlier this year; Zerohash was reportedly then raising $250M at a $1.5B valuation — CoinDesk.

The real-world read

Nearly every claim here originates with Zerohash or a partner, and only one outlet has reported it. The "600+ connections" headline flatters the reality in the firm's own docs: four exchange/brokerage hookups against 639 wallets. The usability pitch — that address copying and test payments are "one of the biggest points of friction" — comes from Alex LaPrade, CEO of an unnamed non-custodial wallet, an interested party, not a neutral assessment. Note also the gap in framing on the charter: the OCC's return signals a filing it considered materially deficient, while Zerohash calls it routine administration. The product launch and the pending refiling, timed together, read as a firm building commercial momentum while a core regulatory question is unresolved.

This is news coverage, not financial advice.