Citi to launch Bitcoin custody for institutions by year-end

Citi has unveiled its Custody+ platform and confirmed plans to launch institutional digital asset custody later in 2026, beginning with Bitcoin. Summary Citi expects its institutional Bitcoin custody service to go live later this year. Custody+ brings digital assets and traditional securities into one custody framework. More than 80% of Citi’s asset-servicing events are now processed in real time. Citi invests over $2 billion each year in its Services platform strategy. Business Wire reported on Aug. 18 that Citi Investor Services had launched Custody+, a collection of near- and real-time custody services for institutional clients operating across continuous markets and shorter settlement cycles. The rollout has also given Citi a firm timetable for its digital asset custody business. According to the bank, the service is expected to become operational later this year and will initially support Bitcoin (BTC). Rather than running Bitcoin custody through a separate product, Citi plans to build the service on its common digital asset architecture. Institutional clients will be able to access traditional securities and cryptocurrency custody through the same framework, although the bank...