BeInCrypto 100 Institutional Awards Nomination: Sygnum Bank for Best Digital Asset Custody Provider
For years, crypto was pushed largely by hypothesis. That part is fading. What’s taking its place is slower, extra sensible work: rebuilding components of the monetary system utilizing blockchain.
For banks and establishments, the main target has modified. Custody is now not nearly safekeeping property. It’s about connecting these property to the remainder of the monetary system in a approach that’s quick, compliant, and usable.
Sygnum Bank sits in the midst of that shift. And that’s why it’s nominated for Best Digital Asset Custody Provider on the BeInCrypto 100 Institutional Awards 2026.
Custody Is No Longer Just Storage
Sygnum Bank has moved past the fundamental custody mannequin. Instead of treating custody as a vault, it treats it as a part of a broader monetary service.
In a latest dialogue with BeInCrypto’s Global Head of News, Brian McGleenon, Sygnum CIO Fabian Dori made that shift clear. He stated safety is now not the principle drawback.
“The key facet of offering a safe custody resolution was one of many first challenges. At this level, it’s largely solved on the institutional degree. The actual problem now could be integration — connecting custody with value-add providers.”
That level reveals up in how Sygnum operates.
BeInCrypto reviewed its regulatory standing, partnerships, and product exercise throughout public filings and disclosures.
Sygnum was based in 2017 and now experiences greater than $5 billion in consumer property, over $1 billion in property below custody, and greater than 2,000 shoppers throughout 4 jurisdictions.
| Founded(*100*) | 2017(*100*) |
| Total Client Assets(*100*) | $5B+(*100*) |
| Assets Under Custody (AUC)(*100*) | $1B+(*100*) |
| Clients(*100*) | 2,000+(*100*) |
| Jurisdictions(*100*) | 4(*100*) |
| Valuation(*100*) | $1B+(*100*) |
It turned the first digital asset bank to obtain a full banking and securities supplier licence from FINMA in 2019. Today, it operates below regulatory frameworks in Switzerland, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, and Luxembourg.
Its Protect off-exchange custody platform crossed $1 billion in property in March 2026, with 900% year-on-year development. Market maker Wintermute is certainly one of its shoppers.
The financial institution has additionally pushed into settlement and tokenization.
In December 2025, Sygnum turned the primary European digital asset financial institution to work with BNY Mellon on USD settlement.
Through its Desygnate platform, it has tokenized real-world property throughout a number of networks. This contains shares in Hamilton Lane’s $4.9 billion personal property fund on Polygon, and Fidelity International’s liquidity fund on zkSync Era.
It additionally supported a non-public debt tokenization with Float and Fasanara Capital.
On the funding aspect, its BTC Alpha Fund raised greater than 750 BTC inside 4 months and has delivered round 15% annualized returns since launch.
Trading exercise throughout the platform grew more than 1,000% in 2024, partly pushed by its infrastructure supporting over 20 accomplice banks.
Making Digital Assets Actually Usable
Client habits can be altering. Dori stated institutional shoppers are now not happy with holding property passively. They need to use them.
Sygnum’s mannequin is constructed round that shift. Clients can entry custody, lending, and yield methods by means of a single interface, with out shifting property throughout a number of platforms. The aim is to maintain all the pieces inside a regulated surroundings whereas nonetheless permitting capital to be deployed.
Another challenge the financial institution is attempting to handle is fragmentation.
Blockchains stay siloed. Different networks, requirements, and methods create friction. Dori’s view is that shoppers mustn’t need to take care of that complexity immediately.
“What we intention to supply is unified entry. Behind the scenes, we use totally different methods and instruments to deal with the fragmentation.”
That method issues as tokenization grows.
Estimates recommend the market might attain tens of trillions of {dollars} by 2030. If that occurs, the problem is not going to be constructing new chains. It will probably be making them work collectively in a approach that establishments can truly use.
Sygnum’s technique is simple. Hide the complexity. Keep the compliance tight. Make digital property usable throughout the present monetary system.
The expertise is already right here. The actual work now could be connecting it.
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