Nashville, TN – September 8, 2026 – CRB Monitor, the leading provider of cannabis corporate intelligence, is proud to announce that its proprietary data was officially vetted and selected for inclusion in the latest Government Accountability Office (GAO) report to congressional requesters, "Banking Services: Cannabis Businesses Face Access Challenges" (GAO-26-107498).
This milestone validates CRB Monitor's rigorous data collection and analysis methodologies. The GAO—the federal government's primary auditor and "congressional watchdog"—provides Congress, the heads of executive agencies, and the public with timely, fact-based, non-partisan information. Including CRB Monitor's data confirms the company's legitimacy as the premier institutional-grade database for tracking cannabis-related businesses (CRBs).
In the newly published report, the GAO relies on CRB Monitor's comprehensive tracking to establish the current footprint of the U.S. cannabis industry, noting in its methodology:
"To provide background on the cannabis industry, we requested data on the number and characteristics of licensed CRB entities from CRB Monitor, a company that collects and analyzes data from licensing agencies nationwide. Specifically, we requested data on the number of CRB entities, in total and by state, for calendar years 2021 through 2025.
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To assess the reliability of these data, we met with CRB Monitor staff and reviewed written information they provided for any logical inconsistencies and completeness. We found these data to be sufficiently reliable for describing the number, locations, and types of licensed CRB entities"
The expansive GAO report covers the compliance challenges financial institutions face when serving CRBs, specifically emphasizing Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) obligations, FinCEN guidance, and the operational hurdles of conducting thorough due diligence.
"Financial institutions, regulators, and government agencies require accurate, standardized, and reliable data to make informed decisions and maintain compliance in a complex regulatory environment. The GAO's use of our data is the ultimate validation of the hard work our team does every day to track, organize, and make sense of this notoriously fragmented industry."
Steven Kemmerling CEO, CRB Monitor
As the GAO report highlights, one of the primary obstacles for financial institutions entering the cannabis space is the high operational cost of initial and ongoing due diligence, which includes verifying state licenses and monitoring for regulatory red flags. CRB Monitor directly solves this problem by providing financial institutions with a comprehensive database of licensed CRBs, helping them comply with FinCEN guidance, manage risk, and safely bank the cannabis industry.
To read the full GAO report, visit: https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-26-107498
To learn more about how CRB Monitor empowers financial institutions with industry-leading cannabis data, visit: https://www.crbmonitor.com/learn-more
About CRB Monitor
Founded in 2014, CRB Monitor empowers financial institutions and service providers to effectively manage risk and monetize opportunity in the highly regulated cannabis industry. By developing industry-accepted definitions, frameworks and methodologies, CRB Monitor has become the market leader in Cannabis-Related Business ("CRB") corporate intelligence. With 265,000+ cannabis licenses, 100,000+ business entities, and 155k+ individual owners, CRB Monitor supports customer due diligence, ongoing monitoring, and risk management.
About GAO
The Government Accountability Office, the audit, evaluation, and investigative arm of Congress, exists to support Congress in meeting its constitutional responsibilities and to help improve the performance and accountability of the federal government for the American people. GAO examines the use of public funds; evaluates federal programs and policies; and provides analyses, recommendations, and other assistance to help Congress make informed oversight, policy, and funding decisions. GAO’s commitment to good government is reflected in its core values of accountability, integrity, and reliability.