A U.S. bank regulator said Tuesday it would start accepting national charter applications from financial technology companies, giving so-called fintech firms a path to federal oversight for the first time.

The move by the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) will be cheered by the likes of OnDeck Capital Inc (ONDK.N), Kabbage and LendingClub Corp (LC.N) because it opens the door to operating nationwide under a single licensing and regulatory regime instead of a patchwork of state licenses.

The decision came hours after the Treasury Department endorsed the approach. Effective immediately, the OCC will accept applications from non-depository fintech companies for a special purpose national bank charter.

The regulator said successful applicants would be supervised similarly to comparable banks, and companies must provide a contingency plan for how they would navigate financial stress that could threaten their operations.

There is no current federal regulatory regime for fintech firms, meaning online lenders must seek licenses in every state they wish to operate, an onerous and expensive process, or partner with traditional banks.

“If they can create a national standard of sorts and harmonize that regulatory burden then that will provide a real benefit to America’s small businesses and hopefully in the long run decrease of the cost of credit,” said Scott Stewart, chief executive of trade group Innovative Lending Platform Association.

(SD-Agencies)