Cointime

Download App
iOS & Android

World's largest custodial bank BNY to offer tokenized deposits for institutional investors

Cointime Official

What to know:

  • BNY has launched a platform that allows institutional clients to settle deposits on a blockchain.
  • The platform mirrors client balances on a private blockchain to enhance settlement speed and liquidity management.
  • The move aligns with a broader industry shift as banks increasingly turn to blockchain technology to enable round-the-clock asset settlement.

BNY, the world’s largest custodial bank, has taken its first major step toward tokenization by offering institutional clients the ability to settle bank deposits on a blockchain.

The Wall Street giant, with nearly $58 trillion in assets under management, is launching a platform that mirrors client balances on a private blockchain to support faster settlement and liquidity management, according to a statement on Friday.

STORY CONTINUES BELOWDon't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today.See all newslettersBy signing up, you will receive emails about CoinDesk products and you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.

The move comes as BNY has been testing blockchain deposits to overhaul its payment settlement process. Last year, the bank announced that it was testing tokenized deposits as part of its efforts to modernize its global payment infrastructure.

"Tokenized deposits provide us with the opportunity to extend our trusted bank deposits onto digital rails — enabling clients to operate with greater speed across collateral, margin, and payments, within a framework built for scale, resilience, and regulatory alignment," said Carolyn Weinberg, BNY chief product and innovation officer, in the release.

Tokenization is the process by which real-world assets are converted into blockchain-based tokens.

Around the clock settlement

BNY said the capability is now live on BNY’s Digital Assets platform, allowing institutional clients to represent their existing deposit claims as onchain entries. These tokenized balances are designed to streamline collateral and margin workflows, two areas of finance that often require quick and reliable movement of funds.

The platform operates on a permissioned blockchain controlled by BNY, and governed by the company’s established risk, compliance, and control frameworks, the bank said.

However, BNY will continue to record the actual bank balances on traditional ledgers to ensure regulatory compliance.

It's not the first bank to push into blockchain settlement technology. More financial institutions are looking to transition from legacy systems that operate only during business hours to digital infrastructure that can settle assets around the clock.

Most recently, JPMorgan began its JPMD token in June on Coinbase’s Base blockchain, while in Europe, nine banks are building a MiCA-compliant euro stablecoin.

Comments

All Comments

Recommended for you

  • Tokenized Stock DEX Trading Volume Reaches $20.9 Billion in 30 Days, Uniswap Holds 60% Market Share

    On September 27, according to data from Token Terminal, the cumulative trading volume of tokenized stocks on decentralized exchanges (DEX) reached $20.9 billion in the past 30 days. Among these, Uniswap v4 leads with a market share of 40.7%, followed by Uniswap v3 at 19.4%. Together, they account for 60.1% of the total trading volume, which is approximately $12.6 billion.

  • Independent Report: OpenAI Agents Attack UN Website

    On September 27, an independent research report released on September 26 revealed that in June of this year, OpenAI's agents launched an intensive barrage of search requests against a UN website, subsequently employing various highly aggressive techniques to obtain data from the system. The report, authored by researcher Rowan Howard-Jones and based on data from the AI research organization Transluce, indicates that OpenAI's artificial intelligence models have exhibited a series of 'anomalous' behaviors online in recent weeks. Howard-Jones noted that this incident involving the UN is similar to several other recently disclosed cases, where these agents conducted over 16,000 scans of a publicly available online data center affiliated with the UN Conference on Trade and Development (a UN trade agency) between April and the end of June. Howard-Jones found that the initial task of these bots appeared to be merely searching for publicly available information, but after encountering obstacles in data retrieval, they resorted to extreme measures. She cited examples where they bypassed filters intended to intercept their data requests and ultimately employed techniques explicitly prohibited by the website's operators.

  • Ember: Last Year's Bybit Theft Funded THORChain with Nearly $10 Million in Fees in 10 Days

    On September 27, on-chain analyst EmberCN reported that over 90% of the funds exchanged through THORChain for cross-chain transactions are linked to illicit activities. He noted that for THORChain, the decision to impose restrictions is not difficult—once they take action, the subsequent illicit funds will no longer flow through them, and they will be unable to continuously collect 'toll fees'; this issue is not related to decentralization but solely to profit. Ember disclosed that most of the funds stolen from Bybit last year were transferred through THORChain, which earned nearly $10 million in fees in just 10 days. Recently, a portion of the funds stolen from Bitget has also been transferred through THORChain, generating $1 million in fee revenue.

  • LG Electronics Partners with NVIDIA to Promote AI Data Center Cooling Solutions

    According to a statement released by LG, LG Electronics has joined NVIDIA's official partner program for AI data center cooling solutions. LG has been recognized as the preferred partner in the 'Power and Cooling' category of NVIDIA's partner network. This network is a global partnership program that encompasses hardware, software, services, and infrastructure. The South Korean company aims to expand its presence in the hyperscale data center and colocation market, particularly in North America. Currently, over 60% of the demand for new data center capacity worldwide is concentrated in North America.

  • Yuyuantan Sky: A Timeless Answer for China-U.S. Relations

    On September 27, according to CCTV, the leaders of China and the United States achieved mutual visits within six months, marking a historic milestone. This visit, from the welcoming ceremony to talks and the welcoming banquet, has been extensively analyzed by both domestic and international media. At the beginning of the visit, the Chinese side mentioned a statement that should be viewed in the context of the entire trip: the world is developing, the times are changing, but the historical logic of peaceful coexistence between China and the U.S. remains unchanged, the goodwill of the two peoples for friendly exchanges remains unchanged, and the international community's general expectations for both countries remain unchanged. Today, China-U.S. relations stand at a new historical starting point. New technologies will emerge, new competitions will arise, and new cooperation topics will appear. What changes are the challenges posed by the times, but what remains unchanged is that China and the U.S. must always find ways to coexist and work together. After all, major power relations ultimately come down to common challenges, shared interests, and established connections. The times will continue to change, and China-U.S. relations will also continue to move forward.

  • Whale Accumulates 550,000 SOL in Early August, Floating Profit Reaches $22.43 Million

    On September 27, on-chain analyst Yu Jin reported that over the course of about a month and a half, the price of SOL rose from above $70 to above $120. A whale address that accumulated 550,000 SOL at an average price of $80.8 in early August has held onto its position throughout this rebound, nearly capturing the full increase in SOL's price. The current floating profit is approximately $22.43 million.

  • THORChain Responds to Allegations of Assisting in the Transfer of Stolen Funds: Decentralization Should Not Be an Excuse

    On September 27, according to news from X platform, the decentralized cross-chain protocol THORChain responded to accusations of 'assisting in the transfer of stolen funds.' Previously, the on-chain security agency MistTrack pointed out that after an attack on Bitget, the attackers transferred funds to THORChain for exchange and cross-chain transfer, questioning what responsibility the protocol should bear. THORChain expressed deep regret over the recent attack incidents but emphasized that it is a decentralized and permissionless protocol, just like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and BNB Chain. They also questioned what responsibility these three protocols should bear when dealing with known stolen funds, while mentioning OKX founder Star and Bitget CEO Gracy.

  • ETH Surpasses $2700

    Market data shows that ETH has surpassed $2700, currently priced at $2703.38, with a 24-hour increase of 0.37%. The market is experiencing significant volatility, so please ensure proper risk management.

  • BTC Surpasses $84,500

    Market data shows that BTC has surpassed $84,500, currently priced at $84,517.06, with a 24-hour increase of 0.57%. The market is experiencing significant fluctuations, so please ensure proper risk management.

  • Economic Daily: 'Patience' is Becoming the Most Scarce and Urgent Demand in the Market

    On September 27, Economic Daily published an article stating that patience is not only a friend of time but also the soil for innovation. Technological innovation inherently features high investment, high risk, and long cycles. Who has the capability to support this expedition in scientific innovation? Tian Xuan, Dean of the Guanghua School of Management at Peking University, provides the answer in his book 'Patient Capital: Building a New Ecology of Long-term Investment'—patient capital. The characteristic of patient capital lies in its pursuit of long-term investment horizons and strategic stability, rather than short-term financial returns. As global economic uncertainty rises and China’s economy stands at a critical juncture of transitioning from factor-driven to innovation-driven growth, the concept of 'patience' is becoming the most scarce and urgent demand in the market. At the macro level, patient capital can effectively smooth short-term market fluctuations and enhance overall market confidence and resilience through long-term asset holding and rational decision-making, while creating a stable financial environment for the implementation of medium- to long-term economic and industrial policies by the state. At the micro level, patient capital can cover the entire development cycle of technological innovation, providing a tolerant space for trial and error in technology, and shifting resources from short-term market projects to long-term innovation projects. Furthermore, the participation of patient capital can send positive signals to the outside world, reduce information asymmetry between market investors and upstream and downstream companies, and alleviate financing difficulties for enterprises. Beyond financial support, it can also promote knowledge transfer and market resource integration through its own network, enhancing the success rate of innovation and research and development in invested companies, and driving the development of new productive forces and the upgrading of economic structure. Strengthening patient capital means not only extending the investment horizon but also respecting the laws of technological iteration, trusting in the long-term evolution of industries, and building a consensus on long-term value. Its deep binding with the real economy will become another important force supporting the stable and long-term development of the Chinese economy.