Bitcoin News

Story: Wall Street’s 24 Biggest Names Now Offer Crypto Trading and Custody

By Sydney TheCMO

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Custody and Compliance Drive Institutional Entry. Custody was always the sticking point. Institutional investors didn't want to hold private keys…

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Tokenization Unlocks New Asset Classes. Tokenization is the buzzword that keeps coming up. It means taking a physical asset—real estate,…

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Regulatory Uncertainty Looms Large. Regulation is still the wild card. The firms expanding into crypto are doing it carefully, making…

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Twenty-four major financial firms jumped into crypto. That's the count from Bitwise, and it's not just dabbling—these banks and asset managers are running trading desks, holding…

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Banks didn't just wake up one morning and decide crypto was worth their time. The move took years of watching, waiting, and probably a lot of internal fights between the old…

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Custody was always the sticking point. Institutional investors didn't want to hold private keys themselves, and they definitely didn't want to explain to regulators how they lost…

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The firms aren't just storing coins, though. They're also trading them. Trading desks at these institutions are handling increased demand from clients who want exposure to crypto…

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But there's more. Payment systems are getting rebuilt using blockchain tech. The goal is faster transactions and lower costs, which matters a lot when you're moving money across…

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Tokenization is the buzzword that keeps coming up. It means taking a physical asset—real estate, commodities, even art—and turning it into a digital token on a blockchain.

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The 24 firms in Bitwise's count are exploring tokenization across multiple asset classes. Real estate is the obvious one, but they're also looking at bonds, equities, and even…

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See also: Crypto Lobbying Dollars Face Voter Backlash Ahead of 2026 Midterms

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Exchange-traded products are another big piece of the puzzle. These ETPs let investors get exposure to crypto without actually holding the coins.

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The firms are also expanding their trading desks to handle the volume. Crypto markets run 24/7, which is different from traditional stock markets that close at 4 p.m.

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Regulation is still the wild card. The firms expanding into crypto are doing it carefully, making sure they stay on the right side of compliance.

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Despite the uncertainty, the push continues. Banks and asset managers see crypto as a long-term opportunity, not a passing fad.

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