Deutsche Bank has just announced its plan to launch its digital asset custody solution this year, depending on how soon it completes the necessary regulatory requirements.

 

Making the announcement in a press release this Wednesday, the bank said the new custody solution will provide its institutional and corporate clients with secure and regulated custody services for their digital assets, with Deutsche Bank managing the clients’ wallets and private keys.

 

“Digital assets are not a replacement for the traditional financial system but an important complement to it. We see them as new rails that can coexist with existing market infrastructures while benefiting from the trust, security and safeguards that regulated financial institutions provide. Our aim is to offer clients a secure and regulated gateway to this evolving market,” said Gerald Podobnik, Co-Head of Corporate Bank at Deutsche Bank.

 

At launch, the custody solution will support only a selected range of digital assets, including Bitcoin and Ether, as well as a few stablecoin assets such as USDC, EURC and EURAU, with possible expansion to support more assets depending on clients’ demand and regulatory processes. Tokenized financial instruments are also included in the bank’s roadmap.

 

Security Measures to Protect Clients' Assets

 

To enhance the safety and security of clients’ assets under its custody, Deutsche Bank will implement multiple layers of security for the custodial solution, with the bank stating that these security mechanisms will operate under strict governance.

 

Among the various security measures that will be implemented to safeguard clients’ assets are secure key generation and hardware-based protection, segregation of duties, multi-person approval processes, separate warm and cold storage environments, and controlled backup and recovery arrangements.

 

As its initial focus, the custodial solution will be made available first to qualified Deutsche Bank institutional clients across Europe, including corporates, asset managers, hedge funds, custodians, brokers and sovereign institutions.

 

Financial technology company Block Inc. has formally submitted an application to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to establish Builders Bank & Trust, N.A. (“Builders Bank”), an uninsured national trust bank.

 

If approved, the charter will enable Block to operate as a federally regulated national trust bank under the supervision of the OCC, allowing it to provide fiduciary and custody services for digital assets such as Bitcoin and stablecoins.

 

“Combining Block’s digital asset expertise, our experience with Square Financial Services, and the deep banking expertise of our team, we believe Builders Bank is well positioned to support Block’s broader vision of economic empowerment,” said Lee Woolley, who is expected to serve as president and CEO of Builders Bank.

 

Although the charter will not allow Builders Bank to accept customer deposits or make loans like traditional banks, if approved, it will enable the bank to operate as an uninsured, non-deposit taking national trust bank under the OCC’s regulatory framework.

 

Block’s application comes at a time when several financial institutions have made similar filings with the OCC to establish national trust banks.

 

Just last month, digital asset infrastructure provider Zero Hash applied to establish a national trust bank focused exclusively on digital assets. The application followed similar filings by fintech firm Dakota, Catena, and Payward in preceding months.

 

President Trump-backed World Liberty Financial and Sony Bank also recently received conditional trust charters from the OCC to establish national trust banks, while stablecoin issuer Circle was granted a New York trust charter.

Hargreaves Lansdown, the UK’s largest retail investment platform, has begun listing Bitcoin and Ether exchange traded notes (ETNs) for its roughly 2 million clients.

 

The listing, which comprises nine crypto ETNs from major issuers, including BlackRock’s iShares, WisdomTree, 21Shares, Invesco, CoinShares, and Bitwise, comes shortly after the Financial Conduct Authority lifted its four year ban on UK investors buying crypto ETNs in October 2025.

 

Eligible clients will now be able to buy, hold, and sell regulated Bitcoin and Ether exchange traded notes (ETNs), which track the prices of Bitcoin and Ether. Since the crypto ETNs only directly track the prices of the underlying cryptocurrencies, clients do not own the underlying assets.

 

Regarding the launch, Doug Abbott, Hargreaves Lansdown’s chief product officer, told the Financial Times, “We want clients to … understand what they are investing in,” adding that there would be the “right level of friction” involved in the buying process, given that highly volatile cryptocurrencies are not suitable for everyone.

 

According to Abbott, the launch of the ETNs followed consistent inquiries about the products from its sophisticated user base. The firm also said that the necessary security measures were already in place to ensure that the platform was safe and ready to support the ETNs.

 

About Hargreaves Lansdown

 

Hargreaves Lansdown is the UK’s largest direct to consumer retail investment platform, allowing private investors to save, invest, and manage their pensions. Through its app and platform, Hargreaves offers a wide range of products, including Stocks and Shares ISAs, SIPPs (self invested personal pensions), Fund and Share dealing accounts, cash savings, and ETFs.

 

Although Hargreaves had long held a cautious and skeptical view of cryptocurrencies and had frequently downplayed the economic relevance and potential of Bitcoin, it has had to adjust its position, particularly amid the rapid mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies. This shift is evident in the launch of its crypto ETN offering.

 

 

Standard Chartered, the British multinational banking and financial services group, has expanded its presence in the UAE by launching institutional spot trading for Bitcoin and Ether.

 

While this is not the first time institutional BTC and ETH spot trading has been launched in the UAE, Standard Chartered’s launch is unique, as it is the first Global Systemically Important Bank (G-SIB) to offer institutional Bitcoin and Ether deliverable spot trading in the region and is currently the only global bank offering such capabilities in the Emirates.

 

By launching these institutional grade spot trading services, Standard Chartered enables eligible institutional clients to access deliverable Bitcoin and Ether spot trading through its electronic trading channels.

 

“The UAE has developed a clear digital assets regulatory framework that supports institutional participation and innovation,” Rola Abu Manneh, Chief Executive Officer, UAE, Middle East and Pakistan at Standard Chartered, said.

 

“Extending our Bitcoin and Ether spot trading capability to institutional clients is a significant step in broadening our regulated digital asset proposition in the market. By combining execution with secure custody, governance and the connectivity of a global bank, we are providing clients with a more integrated way to participate in digital asset markets.”

 

The launch of Standard Chartered’s institutional spot trading service came just a few days after the bank became the first authorized bank distributor of the HKD-backed stablecoin developed by Anchorpoint Financial Limited.

 

Standard Chartered has also been involved in several pro crypto and tokenization friendly moves, launches and partnerships. Notable among these was its acquisition of Zodia Custody in May, a move designed to support institutional clients.

 

Global cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has launched derivatives contracts for eligible Canadian investors seeking to trade and speculate on a trusted platform.

 

 

The derivatives contracts, which will be offered through Coinbase Financial Markets, are the first of their kind from a crypto native platform in Canada, giving investors access to highly liquid and regulated contracts, including 23 perpetual and dated futures covering assets such as Bitcoin, ETH, and SOL; five commodity futures covering gold, silver, and oil; and index futures.

 

Regarding the features of the newly launched derivatives contracts, Coinbase said in a blog post that the contracts are regulated by its financial markets arm, an entity registered with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The contracts will also be flexible, with nano sized contracts designed for investors with lower upfront capital requirements.

 

Coinbase’s derivatives contract launch comes at a time when the exchange has rolled out more customizable charting and interface features on Coinbase Advanced.

 

Rather than forcing every trader to use the same chart setup, the rollout is aimed at making it easier for traders to customize their trading screens. Traders can switch between candlestick and line charts, change time frames, adjust chart settings and technical indicators, and use drawing tools.

 

The benefits of these features are that traders can spot market trends faster, identify potential entry and exit points, and analyze market movements more effectively.