ChainCatcher news, the French financial market regulator Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) has approved the French bank BPCE to conduct cryptocurrency business.According to the official notice released by the AMF on December 20, BPCE's cryptocurrency subsidiary Hexarq has obtained authorization as a Crypto Asset Service Provider (CASP). With this approval, Hexarq is officially authorized to provide a range of crypto services, including crypto custody, as well as the buying, selling, and trading of cryptocurrencies against euros.

ChainCatcher news, according to Bloomberg, Zodia Custody, the cryptocurrency custody company of Standard Chartered Bank, CEO Julian Sawyer stated in an interview that the company is seeking to raise $50 million from investors to drive its plans to expand into new regions and broaden its product range.Sawyer added that although Zodia currently has the support of several wholesale financial firms, it now hopes to attract a wider variety of investors, including payment and tokenization companies; cryptocurrency-focused consulting firm Architect Partners is assisting with this effort that began last month.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, Ripple has launched a series of new features for Ripple Custody aimed at helping banks and fintech companies adopt crypto-supported services. These updates include the ability to tokenize real-world assets (RWA), pre-configured operations and strategy settings, integration with Ripple's XRP Ledger blockchain, and an upgraded user interface.

ChainCatcher news, Ripple has announced the launch of a crypto custody service aimed at helping banks and fintech companies store digital assets. These new features include integration with Ripple's XRP Ledger blockchain platform, anti-money laundering risk monitoring, and a user-friendly interface.Ripple hopes to expand its business through this initiative, moving beyond its core payment settlement platform RippleNet. The company's Ripple Custody brand will provide services for tokenized real assets and allow for fast, low-fee transactions using the XRP Ledger. Ripple has also acquired Metaco and Standard Custody & Trust Company to further advance its custody business.

ChainCatcher news, according to Bloomberg, so far, crypto-native companies like Coinbase Global Inc. and BitGo Inc. have been the dominant service providers, while traditional financial firms mostly remain in a holding pattern due to concerns over regulatory uncertainty surrounding digital assets.Although the current custody market is only about $300 million, the business remains attractive, with companies like Fireblocks Inc. estimating an annual growth rate of around 30% for the industry.Leading custody banks such as BNY Mellon, State Street Corp., and Citigroup Inc. have begun to dip their toes into the cryptocurrency custody space or have expressed interest. Despite facing setbacks, these companies are experimenting, with many plans focused on the protection of tokenized assets.For example, JPMorgan Chase & Co. operates a project called Onyx, which allows blockchain payments between bank clients. In December last year, a custody trust and clearing company acquired Securrency to provide products for tokenizing traditional financial assets. In August of this year, State Street chose the vendor Taurus for the tokenization and custody of digital asset services.One major issue hindering the entry of established financial institutions is a U.S. SEC regulation known as SAB 121, which prevents highly regulated financial companies from offering cryptocurrency custody services. President Biden vetoed efforts by Congress to overturn the rule. Several banks have received exemptions.

ChainCatcher news, SEC Chief Accountant Paul Munter stated that the SEC's position on restricting banks from providing crypto custody services remains unchanged.On September 9, Munter reiterated the views of SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 121 (SAB 121) at a banking conference, emphasizing that financial institutions need to record liabilities for custodial crypto assets on their balance sheets. Munter pointed out that although some arrangements do not comply with the standard, the SEC still believes that regulated financial institutions should not provide crypto custody services.ETF Store President Nate Geraci stated on the X platform, "The SEC's position on SAB 121 seems to be unwavering. They are clearly unwilling to allow regulated financial institutions the ability to custody cryptocurrencies."

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, Ripple's crypto custody company Metaco has lost five more executives and marketing team members after the departure of its CEO and Chief Product Officer in February.Sources revealed that Metaco's Chief Technology Officer and Chief Customer Officer Angel Nunez, Sales Director Craig Perrin, Marketing Manager Mei Li Powell, Product Marketing Director, and Marketing Officer Gene Peterson and Rahul Mudgal have also left the company.

ChainCatcher news, according to Bloomberg, the crypto custody platform provider Fireblocks has laid off less than 3%, affecting 21 people. Fireblocks stated, "Over the past six months, Fireblocks has been focused on restructuring its market and customer support operations and preparing for the company's expansion into new regions. Less than 3% of the team was affected by the restructuring, and all affected employees received severance pay."It is reported that Fireblocks has 680 employees worldwide and has raised approximately $1.2 billion from investors such as Sequoia Capital and Coatue Management.

ChainCatcher news, the Web3 content creation platform RepubliK announced its integration with the crypto custody platform Fireblocks to support wallet interactions and transaction applications on its platform, while also aiming to leverage Fireblocks' security features to enhance safety.Fireblocks' services primarily support financial institutions such as ANZ Bank, BNY Mellon, and Dutch Bank, and RepubliK is the first social media platform to be integrated with it.

ChainCatcher news, according to Crowdfund Insider, the Abu Dhabi-based cryptocurrency custody service company Changer.ae has obtained a cryptocurrency custody service operating license issued by the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA).It is reported that Changer.ae offers subscription-based services for storing virtual assets and plans to expand its product range in early Q1 2024, including converting virtual assets into fiat currency and custody arrangements with undisclosed banking partners.

ChainCatcher news, cryptocurrency custody and trading company Copper announced on Wednesday that it is working with the Abu Dhabi Global Market Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) to launch digital securities brokerage services in Abu Dhabi early next year.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, Spanish banking giant Santander has chosen cryptocurrency custody technology company Taurus to implement a self-custody model for digital assets.Last week, Santander Private Bank confirmed that BTC and ETH trading has gone live and is now available to clients with accounts in Switzerland.

ChainCatcher news, Zodia Custody, a cryptocurrency custody company under Standard Chartered Bank, is entering Hong Kong and plans to launch services in phases. In the initial phase, Zodia Custody aims to provide limited cryptocurrency asset services to Hong Kong clients. Additionally, the company is actively negotiating with the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority to ensure regulatory compliance.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, Komainu, a compliant digital asset custodian jointly established by Nomura Securities, Ledger, and Coinshares, has joined the ClearLoop network of the crypto custody platform Copper. This collaboration will allow Komainu's institutional clients to trade through ClearLoop, enabling clients to benefit from the regulated on-chain custody provided by Komainu while gaining access to over-the-counter settlement through the network. ClearLoop allows investors to connect multiple exchanges within a trading network, holding assets before trade execution, thereby reducing counterparty risk and eliminating the need to transfer assets to exchange-based wallets.

According to ChainCatcher news, citing informed sources from Bloomberg, the crypto company Fireblocks Inc., backed by Sequoia Capital and Coatue Management, has acquired BlockFold, a Melbourne-based crypto startup aimed at helping financial institutions build blockchain-based systems.Sources indicate that Fireblocks paid approximately $10 million for the acquisition of BlockFold. Representatives from both companies declined to comment.While Fireblocks has already collaborated with large financial institutions such as BNY Mellon, BNP Paribas, and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, it primarily provides them with custody technology services. This individual stated that acquiring BlockFold offers a quick way to expand the range of products offered to such clients.BlockFold was founded in 2021 and specializes in tokenization and smart contract development, with clients including large financial institutions.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, the crypto custody company Prime Trust has notified its employees that it may lay off 62 people in the next two months. Previously, in bankruptcy filing documents, Prime Trust disclosed that it has 70 full-time employees.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, the crypto custody provider Fireblocks has launched a non-custodial wallet service. Fireblocks CEO Michael Shaulov stated that this non-custodial version allows companies or enterprises to create a wallet where one key share is held by the user, while the other key share is held by Fireblocks or the service provider.

ChainCatcher news, Hana Bank has reached a strategic cooperation agreement with the cryptocurrency custody company BitGo, and will provide cryptocurrency asset custody services in the second half of 2024. Currently, BitGo is establishing a legal entity in South Korea and preparing to obtain Information Security Management System (ISMS) certification and Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) report.

ChainCatcher news, Bitget announced a partnership with the crypto custody platform Copper to provide over-the-counter settlement services for institutional clients, which has now integrated Copper's ClearLoop network. After the integration, Bitget's institutional clients will securely store their assets within Copper's infrastructure while delegating their assets for trading on the Bitget platform. Once client assets are stored in Copper and connected to their Bitget account, the Bitget account will instantly display the balance and support over 450 tokens and more than 580 trading pairs. (source link)

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, Wu Jihan's digital asset financial services platform Matrixport has partnered with cryptocurrency custody company Copper to provide over-the-counter settlement services for its institutional clients. Matrixport will join Copper's ClearLoop network, allowing users to securely store their assets within Copper's infrastructure while trading on exchanges connected to ClearLoop through Matrixport sub-accounts. (Source link)