Citi unveils Custody+ platform, plans Bitcoin custody

Citigroup ↘ 0.59% on Tuesday unveiled Custody+, a new modular platform for near- and real-time custody services, and confirmed it expects to launch Bitcoin custody later this year as the first digital asset supported under the framework.

A Multi-Year Effort Comes to Market

The announcement, made on August 18, provides the most concrete timeline yet for a service Citi has been developing for more than two years. The bank first disclosed plans to offer native crypto custody in 2026 during a CNBC interview in October 2025, when Biswarup Chatterjee, Citi's global head of partnerships and innovation for its services division, said the bank was aiming to bring the offering to market within "the next few quarters."cnbc+1

Under the new platform, clients will be able to access traditional and crypto custody within a single framework. "Digital assets already operate on near-instant settlement, 24/7," the bank said in its announcement. "Clients will access traditional and crypto custody capabilities within the same framework for an integrated experience."cryptopotato

Custody+ and Infrastructure Upgrades

Custody+ is designed for markets moving toward continuous trading and shorter settlement cycles. The platform includes real-time asset servicing, instant settlements, liquidity tools, and AI-powered market intelligence. Citi said the crypto custody component is being built on its common digital asset architecture.theblock+1

Chris Cox, Head of Investor Services at Citi, said the bank invests over $2 billion annually in its platform strategy "with a focus on speed, scale and availability," calling Custody+ "a clear example of this investment."bitbo

The launch coincides with Citi completing the U.S. rollout of its patented Single Event Processing technology, which has cut processing times for voluntary corporate actions by up to 92 percent, with over 80 percent of event volume now handled in real time.bitbo

Wall Street's Expanding Crypto Footprint

Citi's move adds to a wave of institutional crypto infrastructure buildouts. The bank has joined a Swift pilot for 24/7 cross-border payments using tokenized deposits and is part of a group of major U.S. banks planning a tokenized deposit network through The Clearing House, targeting a launch in the first half of 2027. CoinDesk reported earlier this year that Citi plans to integrate bitcoin into the same custody and reporting infrastructure used for traditional assets.coindesk+1

The bank did not disclose which digital assets would follow bitcoin on the platform.cryptopotato