Deutsche Bank launches digital asset custody solution for institutional and corporate clients

Deutsche Bank has officially launched its digital asset custody solution, having achieved regulatory approval from Germany’s Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin). The new custody service provides institutional and corporate clients in Europe with secure and regulated custody services for selected digital assets.

The launch comes as the digital asset industry moves from proof of concept and pilot projects towards deeper integration with mainstream financial infrastructure. According to Deutsche Bank Research, the global tokenised assets market, excluding stablecoins, grew from approximately US$10bn in January 2025 to US$39bn in September 2026.¹

Growing real-world applications – from financial institutions’ use of tokenised real-world assets to stablecoins for cross-border payments – combined with greater regulatory clarity and momentum, are helping to accelerate adoption. For more information see the flow article ‘How custody is helping digital assets go mainstream’.

Digital assets such as Bitcoin are accessed and transferred using unique digital codes known as private keys. Whoever controls the private key controls the asset. Deutsche Bank’s custody solution protects and manages these keys and the digital wallets linked to them on behalf of clients. This means clients do not need to build their own systems to store digital assets securely or transfer them to third parties.

“The future of digital assets will be built on trusted infrastructure. As adoption accelerates, custodians will continue to provide the trust, security and post-trade capabilities that enable institutions to participate with confidence and support digital assets at scale,” Paul Maley, Deutsche Bank’s Global Head of Trust and Securities Services, said in a previous flow article outlining the bridging role custody can play between digital assets and mainstream finance.²

The solution employes multiple layers of defence to provide security and control, with Maley noting that “private keys are created securely and protected using dedicated hardware”. Responsibilities are divided among different people, and more than one person must approve important actions. Cryptographic key material is kept in separate storage environments, including offline ‘cold’ storage, while robust backup and recovery arrangements are in place, to ensure resilience and business continuity. These measures are intended to reduce the risk of unauthorised access, lost keys and technical failures.

“Our aim is to offer clients a secure and regulated gateway to this evolving market”
Gerald Podobnik, Co-Head of Deutsche Bank Corporate Bank

The solution is initially available to clients of Deutsche Bank’s Corporate Bank and Investment Bank, including corporates, asset managers, hedge funds, custodians, brokers and sovereign institutions.

The assets initially supported will include Bitcoin and Ether, together with selected stablecoins or e-money tokens such as USDC, EURC and EURAU. Tokenised financial instruments are set to be added at a later date. Further assets may also be added in the future, subject to client demand and the bank’s product approval, risk management and regulatory processes.

“Digital assets are not a replacement for the traditional financial system but an important complement to it. We see them as new rails that can coexist with existing market infrastructures while benefiting from the trust, security and safeguards that regulated financial institutions provide. Our aim is to offer clients a secure and regulated gateway to this evolving market,” noted Gerald Podobnik, Co-Head of Deutsche Bank Corporate Bank.”³

Digital assets involve material risks, including price volatility, fraud, cyber incidents and failures of market participants. Crypto-assets are not covered by a deposit-guarantee scheme comparable to the protection applicable to eligible bank deposits.

To find out more visit digitalassets.db.com

Sources

¹ See Asset Tokenization 101: The Next Phase of Financial Infrastructure at dbresearch.de
² See How custody is helping digital assets go mainstream at flow.db.com
³ See Deutsche Bank to launch digital asset custody solution for institutional and corporate Clients at db.com