On December 13, 2025, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) announced its conditional approval of five national trust bank charter applications, marking a pivotal moment for the convergence of digital finance and federal banking oversight.

On December 11, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed a sweeping Executive Order titled “Ensuring a National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence.” This directive represents a significant federal intervention into the regulatory trajectory of AI across the United States, aimed at asserting U.S. dominance in artificial intelligence by preventing what the Administration calls “onerous and excessive” state-level laws.

This Executive Order marks a pivotal shift in AI governance, with potentially profound implications for tech startups, state governments, and federal-state relations over AI regulation.

Taking your hobby seriously is the first step toward building something sustainable. If you are earning income or planning to, you owe it to yourself to do it the right way with the right legal structure and protections in place.

Most entrepreneurs don’t launch a business because they love paperwork. They launch because they see a problem worth solving. In the early days, trust runs high, time runs short, and “We’ll put something in writing later” feels harmless.

Most founders think internal policies belong in corporate HR manuals, tucked between “business casual guidelines” and “printer etiquette.” But your first set of policies isn’t about bureaucracy. It’s about protecting your time, money, and team from avoidable chaos.

Early-stage founders often pick their first fundraising instrument because “another startup used it,” or because an investor suggested it, or because someone sent them a template. But SAFE notes and convertible notes behave differently—and picking the wrong one can complicate future funding rounds.