Deutsche Bank has entered a strategic partnership with Swiss digital-asset infrastructure provider Taurus to launch custody services for institutional clients’ cryptocurrencies and tokenised traditional assets. Under the agreement, Deutsche Bank will leverage Taurus’s secure, blockchain-based custody platform to safeguard select crypto tokens and tokenised representations of assets such as bonds and equities. The announcement reflects a cautious yet significant step by the bank into the digital-asset ecosystem, which has grown to an estimated $1.1 trillion market, down from its $3 trillion peak in late 2021.
The custody solution will initially support a limited selection of cryptocurrencies, chosen for their market depth and regulatory clarity. Deutsche Bank has clarified that while custody services are now live, direct crypto trading will not immediately follow. The bank’s approach prioritises compliance with anti-money laundering and regulatory requirements, ensuring that the custody operations remain segregated from its core banking activities to mitigate risk.
Paul Maley, Deutsche Bank’s global head of securities services, stated that the partnership positions the bank to support clients seeking secure and compliant entry points into the digital-asset space. Industry peers, including Standard Chartered and BNY Mellon, have similarly expanded into custody and tokenisation services in recent years. Deutsche Bank’s collaboration with Taurus is expected to accelerate institutional adoption of blockchain technologies for asset servicing, settlement efficiency and liquidity management, signalling mounting mainstream interest in tokenised financial markets.
Comments (0)