USDCiti Plans Bitcoin Custody Through New Custody+ Institutional Platform
Bank links digital assets with real-time custody, settlement and tokenized financial infrastructure
TL;DR
- Citi plans to add Bitcoin custody to Custody+, allowing institutional clients to hold crypto and traditional assets through the same framework.
- Custody+ combines custody with settlement, foreign exchange and cash management as Citi expands infrastructure toward continuously operating markets.
- Citi is pairing the custody rollout with tokenized deposits, tokenized securities and broader real-time processing across its institutional platform.
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Citi plans to begin offering institutional Bitcoin custody later in 2026 through Custody+, a new service suite that brings digital assets into the same infrastructure used to safeguard traditional securities. Citigroup announced the initiative on August 18, 2026, with Bitcoin set to become the first crypto asset supported by the custody service.
Citi said the planned service is being built on its common digital asset architecture. “Citi expects to go live with digital asset custody later this year, starting with the custody of bitcoin. This is being built on Citi’s common digital asset architecture and we will offer a one-stop custody experience.” The bank added: “Clients will access traditional and crypto custody capabilities within the same framework for an integrated experience.”
Custody+ is designed to make custody, settlement, foreign exchange and cash management faster. Adding Bitcoin would allow eligible institutional clients to keep the asset with the same bank that holds their stocks and bonds rather than maintaining a separate crypto custody arrangement. Institutional custody places responsibility for safeguarding private keys and approving asset movements with the third-party custodian, while self-custody leaves those functions with the asset owner.
Amit Agarwal, head of custody at Citi Investor Services, said the service reflects a longer infrastructure build. “Custody+ is the product of a multi-year commitment to building infrastructure that matches the speed of our clients’ strategies,” Agarwal said in a statement.
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Citi builds custody around real-time processing
Citi’s existing custody operation has a broad institutional footprint, while its processing infrastructure already handles a large portion of activity in real time.
Citi uses its Single Event Processing system to handle custody transactions continuously across domestic and global markets. U.S. voluntary events covered by the processing metric include tender offers and optional dividend elections. The broader platform also combines settlement, foreign exchange, liquidity, tax services and market data within the same operating system.
Citi’s digital asset strategy is built around enabling money and securities to move beyond traditional market hours, including on a 24/7 basis. Custody+ extends that model into digital-asset safekeeping while preserving a common institutional framework for crypto and conventional securities.
Citi Token Services already supports another part of that strategy. The bank said: “Through Citi Token Services, we are enabling the near-instantaneous movement of tokenized deposits on a 24/7 basis across select Citi markets.”
Tokenized securities expand alongside Bitcoin custody
Citi has also been applying blockchain infrastructure to conventional securities. A separate June 2026 launch introduced tokenized depositary receipts that allow eligible investors to hold blockchain-based securities representing shares in private companies.
Citi provides custody for those securities, while SIX operates the underlying platform. SIX is the Swiss financial-market infrastructure group that operates the SIX Swiss Exchange. The model debuted with Kaleido shares and initially limited participation to accredited investors outside the United States, allowing eligible clients to hold private-market exposure through regulated onchain infrastructure alongside traditional securities.
Citi’s base-case projection points to a substantially larger market for tokenized financial assets. The bank estimates tokenized securities and real-world assets could grow from approximately $17 billion to $5.5 trillion by 2030.
Regulatory policy is also moving toward clearer treatment of digital-asset custody and tokenized securities. SEC Chairman Paul Atkins said the agency’s 2026 regulatory agenda seeks rules for onchain trading and custody while maintaining investor-protection safeguards.
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has separately confirmed that national banks may hold certain crypto assets for limited purposes including network fees or platform testing under its crypto asset guidance.
Bitcoin price data captured alongside the custody announcement showed BTC at $64,100.72, with a positive price change of $496.78 at that point. The market figures were contemporaneous data accompanying the article and were separate from Citi’s Custody+ announcement.
The planned Bitcoin service remains a forthcoming component of Custody+. Citi said digital-asset custody is expected to go live later this year, beginning with Bitcoin, while the broader platform already connects custody operations with settlement, foreign exchange, cash management, liquidity and real-time processing.
This article has been refined and enhanced by ChatGPT.
