BitGo — The Qualified Custodian for Digital Assets
BitGo is the oldest dedicated crypto custodian, holding $64B+ in assets for 1,500+ institutional clients, and processes over 20% of global Bitcoin transaction volume through client wallets.
Multi-Party Computation (MPC) for Custody
Multi-Party Computation (MPC) is a cryptographic technique that splits a private key into shares distributed across multiple parties, enabling institutional-grade digital asset custody without any single point of key compromise — the dominant security architecture for regulated digital asset custodians.
Qualified Custodian
A Qualified Custodian is an institution legally authorized to hold client assets on behalf of SEC-registered investment advisers — a requirement that historically excluded most crypto-native firms but is expanding to include digital asset custodians following SAB 121's reversal and OCC charter approvals.
Bank Custody vs Crypto-Native Custody: Institutional Options Compared
BNY Mellon, State Street, and Citibank now offer digital asset custody. Anchorage, BitGo, and Coinbase Prime offer crypto-native custody. The difference: regulatory comfort, insurance limits, DeFi integration, and cold storage architecture.