Citigroup to Launch Institutional Bitcoin Custody Services Later This Year

Citigroup plans to launch bitcoin custody services for institutional clients later this year, allowing them to hold crypto and traditional assets through the same framework.

What Citigroup Is Actually Launching

According to a press release from Citigroup on Tuesday, bitcoin custody is part of Custody+, the bank's new real-time custody solution suite, alongside the completion of the U.S. rollout of single-event processing technology.

The platform now processes over 80% of Citigroup's asset servicing transaction volume in real time, reducing processing times for voluntary corporate actions by up to 92%.

The core value proposition for institutional clients is simplicity. Traditional securities and crypto asset custody sit within the same integrated framework, so clients do not need to configure separate infrastructure for each asset class.

Citigroup Token Services already moves tokenized deposits nearly instantly between specific markets on a 24/7 basis, and bitcoin custody extends this foundation into the digital asset space.

"Custody+ is the result of years of work at Citigroup to build infrastructure that matches the speed of client strategies," noted Amit Agarwal, head of custody at Citigroup, in the press release.

What Else Custody+ Covers

Beyond bitcoin custody, the platform consolidates multiple functions under one roof:

Real-time asset servicing—96% of U.S. voluntary events are now processed within two hours

Instant settlement—end-to-end processing from instruction to final settlement at the central securities depository

Real-time cash and liquidity—instant position updates and liquidity sweeps

Accelerated tax processing—AI reduces document processing times by up to 70%

On-demand FX—real-time execution and automated hedging

What This Means for Crypto Now

According to Decrypt, the announcement builds on plans Citigroup disclosed in October, which announced the launch of institutional bitcoin custody in 2026.

The move comes as Wall Street's push into digital assets accelerates across the board. In January, the New York Stock Exchange announced it was working with Citigroup and BNY Mellon to develop a blockchain-based platform supporting tokenized stocks and exchange-traded funds.

In February, Morgan Stanley applied for a national trust bank charter dedicated to crypto custody.

Citigroup's investor services business supports clients in over 100 markets globally, including 62 proprietary markets, and invests more than $2 billion annually in its platform strategy.