Exclusive: Bitget adopts Sygnum’s off-exchange bank custody model

Investing.com -- Crypto exchange Bitget has integrated with Swiss digital asset bank Sygnum's off-exchange custody platform, taking the share of global trading volume that clears against bank-held collateral above half, Investing.com has learned.

Under the tie-up, Bitget's institutional clients can trade spot and derivatives on the exchange while their collateral is held off Bitget's balance sheet in Sygnum's regulated custody in Switzerland, where it is ring-fenced and bankruptcy-remote under Swiss banking law.

The balance is mirrored on Bitget and available for trading.

Sygnum said that with Bitget live on its Protect platform, the exchanges integrated with it now account for more than half of global spot and derivatives trading volumes.

Bitget serves more than 125 million users across over 150 countries and is among the biggest venues by derivatives volume.

The move reflects how off-exchange custody, once a niche safeguard for the most cautious trading desks, has become standard institutional infrastructure.

Sygnum said Protect, which launched in April 2024, grew assets more than 900% in 2025 to surpass $1 billion, making it the largest bank-operated platform of its kind.

It accepts collateral including bitcoin, ether, stablecoins and U.S. Treasuries, whose yield helps offset the cost, a differentiator over non-bank platforms.

"Off-exchange custody has become the settlement backbone of institutional digital asset trading," said Thomas Eichenberger, deputy group chief executive of Sygnum Bank.

Gracy Chen, chief executive of Bitget, said that "as the market's largest venues converge on bank-grade custody, this is fast becoming the standard institutions expect."

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