- Citi plans to launch Bitcoin custody later in 2026.
- The service will be part of its new Custody+ platform.
- Clients will be able to manage traditional and crypto assets through the same custody framework.
- Citi has also been developing tokenized deposits and blockchain-based settlement infrastructure.
- The move highlights growing demand from traditional institutions for regulated crypto custody.
Citi is preparing to launch its own Bitcoin custody service later this year, making it the latest major Wall Street bank to expand into digital asset infrastructure.
The service will initially support Bitcoin and will be part of Citi's new Custody+ platform.
The platform is designed to combine traditional asset custody with newer digital asset services, allowing institutional clients to manage conventional investments and crypto through the same framework.
Citi had previously announced plans for native crypto custody in 2025, but the latest announcement provides a clearer timeline for the launch.
Citi is building more than crypto custody
The Bitcoin service is just one part of Citi's broader push into blockchain-based financial infrastructure.
The bank has been working on tokenized deposits, which allow traditional bank deposits to be represented and transferred using blockchain technology.
Earlier this year, Citi partnered with Intercontinental Exchange to explore tokenized deposits across clearinghouses.
It also joined a Swift pilot for 24/7 cross-border payments using tokenized deposits.
Citi is also part of a group of major US banks developing a broader tokenized deposit network, which is expected to launch in the first half of 2027.
The new Custody+ platform is designed for financial markets that are moving toward 24/7 trading and faster settlement.
Alongside digital asset custody, it includes real-time asset servicing, instant settlement tools, liquidity management and AI-powered market intelligence.
For institutional investors, the significance is less about Bitcoin trading itself and more about the gradual integration of crypto and blockchain infrastructure into the same systems already used for traditional financial assets.
