Citi Expands Into Bitcoin Custody With New Custody+ Platform

Key Insights:

• Bitcoin custody will enter Citi Custody+ later in 2026.
• Citi will initially support Bitcoin for institutional clients.
• Custody+ combines asset servicing, settlement, liquidity, and data.

Citigroup plans to bring Bitcoin custody into Custody+ later in 2026, starting with institutional clients. The bank will place Bitcoin beside traditional securities within one operating framework. That structure could reduce reliance on separate crypto custody providers and disconnected reporting systems. Citi announced the timeline on August 18 while introducing near-real-time custody and settlement services.

The bank has not provided a precise launch date or named additional supported assets. Bitcoin traded near $64,700 after the announcement, though Citi did not connect the service with price expectations. This Bitcoin news advances a digital-asset program that Citi first disclosed in October 2025.

Citi Places Bitcoin Custody Inside Its Custody+ Framework

Citi says the service will run on its common digital-asset architecture. Clients will receive traditional and crypto custody capabilities through a single framework. Bitcoin will be the first supported asset, placing the Citi Bitcoin offering squarely within its established custody business.

That business serves clients across more than 100 markets, including 62 markets using Citi’s proprietary network. The scale gives Citi an existing institutional base for the planned service. It also lets asset managers keep Bitcoin with the bank handling their stocks and bonds.

The bank will safeguard the asset for clients instead of requiring direct key management. Yet Citi has not detailed fees, insurance arrangements, wallet design, subcustodians, or client eligibility. Those terms will shape how the Citi Bitcoin service competes with specialist providers.

Amit Agarwal, Citi Investor Services head of custody, called Custody+ a multi-year infrastructure commitment. He said the bank designed its tools to simplify client operating models as market structures change.

Custody+ Brings Real-Time Tools Into One Modular System

Custody+ extends beyond Bitcoin custody, combining several post-trade functions. Its tools cover asset servicing, settlement, foreign exchange, cash, liquidity, tax processing, and market intelligence.

Citi built the suite around Single Event Processing technology, which now operates across its United States custody business. The bank says SEP reduced voluntary corporate-action processing times by up to 92%. It now processes 96% of those events within two hours.

More than 80% of Citi’s overall asset-servicing event volume now moves in real time. Integrated ledgers also give clients transaction visibility across Citi’s 62 proprietary custody markets.

The platform includes instant cash updates, liquidity sweeps, funding tools, and projected balances for custody transactions. Citi Token Services moves tokenized deposits around the clock, almost instantly, in selected markets.

Citi also uses AI to process tax documents faster and power its Market Guide service. The bank reports a 70% reduction in processing time for tax documentation. Its Services division invests more than $2 billion annually in platform development.

Bitcoin Custody Extends Wall Street Digital Asset Push

The Citi Bitcoin plan joins broader Bitcoin news about Wall Street’s digital-asset expansion. BNY began offering crypto custody to some United States clients in 2022. Fidelity Digital Assets and Coinbase also provide services to institutional investors.

Banks gained more room to enter Bitcoin custody after the SEC withdrew Staff Accounting Bulletin 121 in 2025. The policy had made it more expensive for banks to record customers’ crypto holdings.

Morgan Stanley is building internal capabilities for Bitcoin custody and trading. Its digital assets head said the bank is also exploring lending and yield products, although it has not set any timelines.

Citi is separately working with BNY on the New York Stock Exchange’s planned tokenized-securities platform. The project targets blockchain-based trading with instant, round-the-clock settlement, subject to regulatory approval. Citi and BNY will support tokenized deposits and fund movement outside standard banking hours.

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