Citi to Launch Bitcoin Custody for Institutional Clients This Year

Citigroup plans to start offering bitcoin custody later this year, folding crypto into the same infrastructure it already uses to safeguard stocks and bonds for institutional clients. The bank’s institutional infrastructure division announced the move Tuesday alongside Custody+, a new suite of services aimed at speeding up custody, settlement, foreign exchange, and cash management.

Bitcoin First, More Assets Likely to Follow

No launch date has been set yet, but the service will begin with bitcoin, giving clients access to both traditional and crypto custody through a single framework. Citi’s custody business currently serves clients across more than 100 markets, including 62 where it operates its own custody network directly. Adding bitcoin means institutional clients could hold BTC alongside their existing stocks and bonds without needing a separate crypto custodian.

Amit Agarwal, head of custody at Citi Investor Services, said Custody+ reflects years of work building infrastructure that keeps pace with client strategies.

Part of a Broader Push for Speed

The bitcoin custody rollout ties into a larger effort at Citi to modernize its systems. The bank has already introduced technology in the U.S. that consolidates custody-related tasks into a single system rather than routing them through multiple steps. Citi said over 80% of these processes now happen in real time, with processing times cut by as much as 92%, and 96% of tasks completed within two hours.

Citi Joins a Growing List of Custody Providers

Citi isn’t the first major bank to enter bitcoin custody. BNY began offering crypto custody to select U.S. clients back in 2022, while Fidelity Digital Assets and Coinbase already serve institutional clients in this space. Regulatory hurdles have also eased for banks entering the business, following the SEC’s 2025 withdrawal of SAB 121, an accounting rule that had previously made it more expensive for banks to hold crypto assets on behalf of customers.