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Digital Asset Custody Deciphered: A Primer to Navigating the Challenges of Safeguarding Digital Assets

This is a report on digital asset custody (DAC), which has been produced in a joint Custody Working Group, a collaboration between GBBC Digital Finance (GDF) and International Securities Services Association (ISSA) , supported by their member firms and the Working Group Secretariat, Deloitte.

It is a primer to help move the knowledge of DAC forward by bringing to the forefront, the opportunities and barriers DAC providers have to successfully navigate moving to these new digital technologies and ways of working.

“Digital Asset Custody Deciphered” sets out to provide financial services professionals, investors and policymakers of all experience and levels with a starting point, covering nine factors in subsections across three section domains:

  • Legal, Regulation, and Financial Crime
  • Settlement & Finality, and Asset Segregation
  • DLT Governance, Staking, Key Management, and Interoperability.
Download the report

As an additional resource, GDF and ISSA have  compiled the key takeaways from each section in a short auxiliary report. These takeaways condense the key considerations for financial services professionals, investors and policy makers of all experience and levels with a starting point to understand the risks and considerations involved in DAC and equip them to move forward with decisions, solutions, and execution.

Download the key takeaways here

The report was published in October 2023 with a press release. The WG and sponsors will evaluate next steps and most suitable course of action for the WG in 2024 based on community feedback on the report.

Download the press release with comments from key stakeholders here