Citi to Launch Bitcoin Custody for Institutional Clients

Citi's entry matters less as a crypto endorsement than as a custody-land grab: once a global custodian folds Bitcoin into existing frameworks, the barrier for asset managers and corporates holding it alongside conventional assets shifts from operational to mandate-driven. The competitive set is now the large custodial banks rather than crypto-native firms, which pressures the latter on pricing and institutional trust. The open question is whether regulated bank custody becomes the default channel for institutional exposure, or stays one option among several.