custody

According to Bloomberg, citing informed sources, Italy's second-largest bank, UniCredit, is considering expanding its digital asset services, including cryptocurrency custody. Headquartered in Milan, UniCredit is selecting technology providers to build the infrastructure needed to hold digital assets and support their buying and selling.The report states that tokenized investment products, fixed-income securities, the use of stablecoins, and exposure to cryptocurrencies are all under consideration. Meanwhile, other banks in Europe are also expanding their crypto services: Spain's BBVA has launched Bitcoin trading and custody for all customers through its app, and Santander's Openbank has also introduced trading services; Germany's Deutsche Bank is collaborating with Bitpanda's technology department to build a custody business.The EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) provides a legal definition, regulatory bodies, and a familiar obligation framework for banks to launch crypto services. Additionally, UniCredit is one of 37 banks from 15 European countries that are jointly creating a company called Qivalis, aimed at issuing a euro stablecoin. Last year, the bank also offered structured products linked to the BlackRock iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF to professional clients, providing full loss protection.

According to Onchain Lens monitoring, the Fireblocks custody wallet (9Ryc...G4xfCxk) deposited 19.4 million USD1 supported by Trump to Binance in the past hour.In the past 13 days, this wallet has transferred approximately 149.8 million USD1 to Binance.

Institutional digital asset custodian Zodia Custody's CEO Julian Sawyer announced his resignation and will take on the role of strategic advisor. In a memo sent to employees on September 10, Sawyer stated that Standard Chartered Bank's acquisition of Zodia Custody's custody business and the establishment of Zodia Solutions provided an appropriate time for him to hand over daily leadership responsibilities, and he will continue to be closely involved in company affairs.According to the memo, Zodia Custody's Chief Revenue Officer Richard Clark will lead the company’s transition to Standard Chartered Bank and will be responsible for the custody business; current executives Craig Perrin and Anoosh Arevshatian will be responsible for the establishment of Zodia Solutions. A spokesperson for Zodia Custody confirmed this personnel change. Zodia Custody is an institutional-grade digital asset custodian based in London, supported by Standard Chartered Bank and other banks, providing regulated asset custody, wallet infrastructure, staking, and over-the-counter settlement services for financial institutions, asset management companies, and others.This arrangement differs from previous plans. In May of this year, SC Ventures announced that Sawyer would serve as CEO of Zodia Solutions after the acquisition was completed. Standard Chartered Bank stated in May that Zodia's shareholders and noteholders had accepted its non-binding acquisition offer, and the custody business would be integrated into the bank's financing and securities services division, while the infrastructure platform would be spun off into Zodia Solutions, which is under SC Ventures.

According to Bloomberg, Italian bank UniCredit SpA is considering expanding its digital asset-related services, including the early-stage development of digital asset custody and brokerage capabilities.Insiders say the bank is screening technology providers to build infrastructure for holding digital assets and supporting buy and sell transactions.

Jack Dorsey's payment company Block has applied to establish Builders Bank & Trust, N.A. If approved, the bank will become an uninsured national trust bank directly regulated by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), focusing on providing custody and trust services for Bitcoin and stablecoins, without accepting deposits or issuing loans.The application is still pending OCC approval, and the OCC's public list of digital asset license applications currently includes 11 pending applications (submitted between February 23 and August 19), which does not yet include Builders Bank. Previously, the OCC conditionally approved five national trust applications in December 2025, including Circle's First National Digital Currency Bank and Ripple, as well as conversion applications from BitGo, Fidelity Digital Assets, and Paxos; Circle received final approval in July of this year.The Bank Policy Institute (BPI), representing large banks, had previously opposed a series of limited-purpose national trust license applications, arguing that companies should not obtain trust licenses unless they plan to operate a true trust company, and warned against using the license as a lightly regulated pathway for bank-like products. Block stated that Builders Bank will not begin operations until it receives the necessary regulatory approvals.

Payment company Block, founded by Jack Dorsey, submitted an application to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) on Tuesday to establish a non-insured national trust bank named Builders Bank & Trust, N.A. Block stated that if approved, the bank would offer custodial and other trust services, including Bitcoin and stablecoins, and the federal charter would establish a federal regulatory framework for some of the custodial services currently offered by Block.Block's application comes at a time when more and more fintech and crypto companies are seeking federal banking charters. Last week, Revolut received conditional approval from the OCC, following approvals for companies like Coinbase, Paxos, BitGo, Ripple, and Circle. The OCC also recently granted conditional approval to World Liberty Financial, supported by the Trump family, which has raised scrutiny in Washington regarding potential conflicts of interest.Since 2025, the OCC has received 40 applications for new bank charters, of which 21 have been approved and 2 have been denied.

Bitcoin News posted on the X platform that CoinCorner has partnered with AnchorWatch to launch Vault, providing multi-institution Bitcoin custody services for UK customers, insured by Lloyd's of London.CoinCorner and AnchorWatch each hold keys, and neither party can independently transfer customers' Bitcoin. All Bitcoin deposits are insured.

According to CryptoBriefing, the Bitcoin wallet Xverse has launched a joint Bitcoin staking service, allowing users to pair sBTC with STX tokens to participate in the Stacks PoX-5 locking period. During the staking period, Bitcoin remains on the Bitcoin mainnet and is controlled by the users, without the need for cross-chain or wrapping. This feature requires an upgrade to the Xverse v2.9 version wallet.Registration will close on September 9 or when the quota is used up. Staking rewards are expected to be distributed starting September 10 (Bitcoin block 966350, corresponding to Stacks' 143rd period). Institutions such as UTXO (a subsidiary of Nakamoto Inc.), HashKey Cloud, and 21shares have joined as anchor participants. Previously, Xverse managed approximately 152 million STX in non-custodial staking.

According to Onchain Lens monitoring, the Fireblocks custody wallet (9Ryc...G4xfCxk) transferred $22.45 million USD1 supported by Trump to Binance again, after previously transferring $66 million USD1 to Binance.

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Thailand (SEC) has officially approved the travel rule for crypto assets, requiring digital asset operators to verify the ownership or control of wallets when customers send or receive crypto assets to self-custody wallets, and to retain transaction-related information for at least five years for regulatory review. Pornanong Budsaratragoon, Secretary-General of the Thai SEC, stated that the rule aims to reduce the risk of digital asset operators being used for money laundering and terrorist financing.The new regulations were finalized after two rounds of public consultations this year, with the first round presenting a draft in March and a notification draft released in June. The Thai SEC stated that most stakeholders expressed support. As the travel rule is implemented, Thailand is considering expanding the access to regulated crypto products. On Monday, the Thai SEC proposed allowing intermediaries to offer specific crypto derivatives traded on regulated overseas exchanges to retail investors.In the days prior, regulators also advanced the draft rules for spot Bitcoin and Ethereum exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and simultaneously sought opinions on the foreign digital asset custodians used by funds investing in crypto assets. Thailand's move aligns with global regulatory trends, as the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) estimates that by 2026, 83% of surveyed jurisdictions will have enacted travel rule legislation.

According to Cointelegraph, Ripple announced a partnership with digital asset infrastructure company SettleMint to provide tokenized asset custody and management solutions for financial institutions. Ripple's institutional-grade digital asset custody infrastructure, Ripple Custody, will integrate with SettleMint's Digital Asset Lifecycle Platform (DALP), covering the entire lifecycle of tokens and simplifying the custody process for institutions.Just the day before, digital asset service provider Coincheck Group announced a partnership with wallet infrastructure company DFNS to build digital asset wallet technology and custody services in Japan. DFNS's wallet-as-a-service can provide institutions with complete transaction lifecycle management, including workflow orchestration and governance controls, and supports over 100 blockchain networks. Both collaborations aim to build more institutional-grade digital asset infrastructure to address the barriers for traditional financial institutions entering the crypto space.The 2025 Global Crypto Adoption Index released by Chainalysis shows that on-chain crypto activity in the Asia-Pacific region has the fastest growth rate in the world, with a year-on-year increase of 69%. Currently, several Asian countries are formulating their own cryptocurrency regulatory frameworks. The bill passed in Japan in July classifies crypto assets as financial assets under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act. Japan's Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki previously expressed a desire to bring crypto assets under the same regulatory framework as traditional financial assets.

According to Cointelegraph, Russia's legal framework for cryptocurrency trading, custody, and cross-border settlements officially came into effect today.

Peach Bitcoin stated that Swiss regulators are seeking to re-examine the compliance framework of its KYC-exempt peer-to-peer Bitcoin trading platform, which has been authorized to operate since 2022. Peach Bitcoin will temporarily exit the custodial process starting from September 1, 2026, and will adopt a non-custodial model during the appeal period.In the temporary model, only users who have completed KYC, been manually whitelisted, or meet transaction record requirements can create sell orders. Sellers who have not completed KYC can only participate in one ongoing transaction at a time. The buying function remains open to all users, with a single transaction limit of 500 Swiss francs and a maximum premium of 6%. The in-app dispute resolution system will still be available, but Peach Bitcoin will no longer sign in custody and will continue to charge a 2% fee from released transactions.Peach Bitcoin founder @proofofsteph stated that the company will not immediately abandon the KYC-exempt model and will communicate with regulators regarding its position; if the final appeal fails, the company will comply with regulatory decisions.

Coinbase and Webull announced the expansion of their cryptocurrency trading and custody collaboration into the Canadian market. The Webull Canada platform will be based on Coinbase's Crypto-as-a-Service infrastructure, utilizing its institutional-grade custody and trading services to provide Canadian investors with access to digital asset trading. This expansion continues the previous operational model established by both parties in the United States, Brazil, and Australia.According to an investigation by the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC), the cryptocurrency ownership rate in Canada has risen from 10% in 2023 to 25%. Coinbase Canada has registered as a Restricted Dealer in various provinces and territories to provide compliance support for this business launch. Following the announcement, the stock prices of both companies slightly declined in early trading, with Webull dropping approximately 1.3%.

According to Onchain Lens monitoring, Fireblocks Custody (9Ryc...fCxk) transferred 30 million Trump-supported USD1 to Binance again in the past 15 hours.

According to CoinDesk, the U.S. clearing and custody institution RQD Clearing announced the completion of a $74 million financing round, led by Bain Capital Tech Opportunities, a technology investment division of Bain Capital, with participation from ABN AMRO Clearing Bank and Nyca Partners. This round of financing will be used to expand operations in North America, Asia, and the Middle East, and to enhance infrastructure development for digital asset custody and asset tokenization.RQD primarily provides post-trade clearing and custody services for broker-dealers, investment advisors, and overseas financial institutions in the U.S. market, responsible for key processes such as securities and funds settlement, and risk management. This year, the company has processed approximately 515 million stock trades, involving nearly $2 trillion, accounting for about 2.4% of the National Market System (NMS) stock trading volume in the U.S.As Wall Street institutions accelerate their exploration of on-chain finance, traditional market infrastructure is becoming an important direction for the competition of tokenized assets. RQD has previously collaborated with Blue Ocean Technologies to advance the clearing and settlement infrastructure for tokenized U.S. stocks and has aligned with the tokenized securities framework of the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC).

According to Bitcoin.com, Strategy (MSTR) Executive Chairman Michael Saylor proposed the concept of "Bitcoin Reform" in a published article, advocating that Bitcoin should break free from the dogmatic understanding of early concepts such as Satoshi Nakamoto, the white paper, and "must self-custody," and further integrate into banks, exchanges, enterprises, securities markets, and government systems.Saylor stated that self-custody remains an important right for holders to freely exit the intermediary system, but it should not be a mandatory obligation for everyone; users can also evaluate institutional services based on dimensions such as custodial isolation, collateral, audits, insurance, and withdrawal rights. He believes that Bitcoin has gradually evolved from peer-to-peer electronic cash and "digital gold" into "digital capital" that can support credit, equity, currency, and machine economies.

Coinkite's hardware wallet Coldcard has been exposed for a serious entropy vulnerability, which has gone undetected since 2021, resulting in over $100 million in Bitcoin being stolen, with victims mostly being users of single mnemonic wallets. The weak entropy allowed attackers to guess private keys through customized means, prompting the Bitcoin community to reassess the reliability of single-signature self-custody.Against this backdrop, multi-vendor multisig solutions are becoming the new custody baseline recommended by long-term holders. This solution requires users to construct multisig addresses using keys from different wallet vendors, such as Trezor Safe 7, Ledger Nano, and Casa recovery keys to form a 2-of-3 multisig, thereby reducing reliance on a single hardware vendor. Multisig can also defend against wrench attacks and has given rise to Bitcoin insurance services priced in BTC, such as AnchorWatch.However, multisig also has its drawbacks; users not only need to keep threshold keys but also need to save copies of the multisig script or template to independently recover funds when the wallet service is offline.

Better collaborates with Coinbase to launch Bitcoin collateral loans, allowing borrowers to obtain funds using BTC as collateral, providing liquidity without the need to liquidate and avoiding capital gains tax.

According to Onchain Lens monitoring, the Fireblocks custody wallet (9Ryc...fCxk) transferred 10 million USD1 to Binance again 13 minutes ago, with a total of 66 million USD1 transferred to Binance over the past week.