$1.7T Deutsche Bank to Launch Crypto Custody for Bitcoin, Ethereum and Stablecoins

Deutsche Bank, one of Europe’s largest banks with $1.7 trillion in assets, on Wednesday said it plans to launch a crypto custody service later this year. The offering will initially cover Bitcoin, Ethereum and selected stablecoins such as USDC for institutional and corporate clients.

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Deutsche Bank Announces Crypto Custody Launch in 2026

The German multinational investment bank is set to launch its digital asset custody solution this year, according to an official announcement on September 16. The new custody service is still pending regulatory approval.

The bank will provide institutional and corporate clients in Europe with secure and regulated custody services for digital assets. At launch, Deutsche Bank will support Bitcoin and Ethereum as well as selected stablecoins or e-money tokens, including USDC, EURC and EURAU.

The bank plans to widen the crypto assets over time, with tokenized financial instruments on the roadmap. The crypto custody service will further grow based on client demand, regulatory requirements and the bank’s risk appetite.

“Digital assets are not a replacement for the traditional financial system but an important complement to it. We see them as new rails that can coexist with existing market infrastructures while benefiting from the trust, security and safeguards,” said Gerald Podobnik, co-head of corporate bank at Deutsche Bank.

Deutsche Bank will hold wallets and private keys on clients’ behalf. That is meant to prevent institutions from building and running their own custody stacks while keeping the service inside a regulated bank framework.

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The Bank Joins Global TradFi’s Push into Bitcoin, Ethereum and Stablecoins

The initial target market is clients of Deutsche Bank’s Corporate Bank and Investment Bank in Europe. That includes corporates, asset managers, hedge funds, custodians, brokers and sovereign institutions. Onboarding will follow the bank’s existing due diligence and risk standards.

Since MiCA came into force, several major European financial institutions have expanded their crypto custody, trading or tokenization initiatives. This includes BBVA, Société Générale-FORGE, Deutsche Bank, DekaBank, and Standard Chartered, which also secured MiCA approval.

$3 trillion Wall Street giant Citi is preparing institutional digital asset custody services later this year, starting with Bitcoin. Moreover, the US SEC sent its proposed crypto rules for investment firms to the White House, addressing how these firms can custody crypto assets.

Notably, Deutsche Bank made a case for Bitcoin earlier, stating that the US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve could offset national debt. US House Committee will markup the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve bill today, with a slight amendment proposed by Representative Bryan Steil.

Here are the best institutional custody solutions for tokenized assets, RWAs, and securities in 2026, with the top 8 providers reviewed by us.