Citigroup announced on Tuesday that it expects to begin providing bitcoin custody later in 2026 as part of its newly unveiled Custody+ suite. The offering will allow institutional clients to hold bitcoin alongside traditional assets such as stocks and bonds within the same operating structure.

Custody+ is designed as a collection of near- and real-time custody solutions aimed at meeting demand from markets that operate continuously. The bank said the platform combines custody, settlement, foreign exchange, cash management and related services into a unified system built for faster processing and broader availability.

Integration of Traditional and Digital Assets

Under the plan, bitcoin custody will be developed on Citi’s common digital asset architecture. Clients will gain access to both traditional securities custody and crypto custody through a single framework, creating what the bank described as a one-stop experience.

Citi stated that it expects to go live with digital asset custody later this year, starting with bitcoin. Additional digital assets may be added in subsequent stages, though no specific timeline or list of further assets has been confirmed.

The bank’s custody operations already serve clients across more than 100 markets, including 62 markets where it maintains its own network. Adding bitcoin custody would allow those clients to keep digital assets with the same institution that holds their conventional holdings, reducing the need for separate crypto custodians.

Focus on Real-Time Processing and Speed

Custody+ builds on technology upgrades Citi has already rolled out in the United States. The bank’s Single Event Processing system now handles more than 80 percent of its total event volume in real time. Processing times for many custody-related tasks have been reduced by as much as 92 percent, with 96 percent of U.S. voluntary events completed within two hours.

Chris Cox, Head of Investor Services at Citi, noted that the bank’s Services business invests more than US$2 billion annually in its platform strategy, with emphasis on speed, scale and availability. He described Custody+ as a clear example of that ongoing investment.

The platform also supports near-instantaneous movement of tokenized deposits on a 24/7 basis across select markets through Citi Token Services, aligning the custody expansion with the bank’s broader push toward continuous market infrastructure.

Broader Context for Institutional Crypto Custody

Citi is not the first major financial institution to enter bitcoin custody. BNY Mellon began offering crypto custody for certain U.S. clients in 2022, while firms such as Fidelity Digital Assets and Coinbase already provide institutional custody services. Regulatory developments have eased the path for banks; the Securities and Exchange Commission’s withdrawal of SAB 121 in 2025 removed an accounting requirement that had previously raised the cost of safeguarding crypto assets for customers.

The Custody+ announcement positions bitcoin within the same reporting, tax, safekeeping and control frameworks already used for equities and bonds. Institutional clients seeking regulated, bank-grade solutions rather than self-custody or third-party crypto specialists are the intended users.

Citi has not released a precise launch date for the bitcoin custody service beyond stating it will arrive later in 2026. The bank indicated that further digital assets could follow based on client demand and regulatory considerations.