Citi’s 2026 Crypto Custody Launch: Wall Street Finally Catches Up to Digital Assets

Breaking: Banking giant Citi confirms institutional crypto custody platform launching 2026—Wall Street's slow-motion embrace of digital assets continues.

The Institutional Leap

Citi joins the custody race two years from now—because why rush when traditional finance can take the scenic route to blockchain adoption. The platform targets institutional clients seeking regulated crypto storage solutions.

Market Impact

Another major player validating digital asset infrastructure—while crypto natives perfected custody solutions years ago. The 2026 timeline gives competitors plenty of time to dominate the space before Citi's grand entrance.

Wall Street's cautious waltz into crypto continues—proving once again that traditional finance moves at glacial speed while digital assets evolve at light speed.

Focus on Institutional Digital Assets

A senior executive at Citigroup recently confirmed the bank’s strategy, primary focus on offering custody services for the assets that back stablecoins, such as U.S. Treasuries and cash. Citi is also exploring custody for the underlying digital assets of crypto ETFs, particularly following the rise of spot Bitcoin ETFs, which require secure management of billions in digital currency.

Leveraging Existing Infrastructure

Citi’s CIDAP (Citi Innovation Labs) enables the issuance, transfer, custody, and programmability of tokenized assets across public and private blockchains. The bank is integrating these services into its broader offerings which include treasury and cash management to provide instant payment solutions.

Citi is already using this network to facilitate 24/7 tokenized U.S. dollar transfers between major financial hubs like New York, London, and Hong Kong. The bank’s goal is to allow clients to transfer stablecoins or convert them into dollars for near-instant, cross-border payments, leveraging the efficiency of tokenization to address the speed and cost issues prevalent in traditional banking.

The Race for Digital Custody

The MOVE by Citi holds approximately $25 trillion in assets under custody (AUC). Its plan comes shortly after the rescinding of the SEC’s accounting rule SAB 121, which had previously been a roadblock preventing U.S. banks from engaging in digital asset custody for nearly three years. By aiming for a 2026 launch, Citi is looking for a niche in a sector currently dominated by crypto-native firms like Coinbase.

Citi’s Head of Custody, Amit Agarwal, emphasized that the future of post-trade is “instant,” and the bank is making investments to modernize its infrastructure as traditional and digital assets converge.

Also Read: Citi Ventures Invests in BVNK Stablecoin Platform