Deutsche Bank is preparing its own infrastructure for digital asset custody and aims to start onboarding its first clients by 2026. The service targets corporate and institutional users in Europe, although the actual launch timeline will depend on regulatory approvals. The bank will independently manage wallets and private keys, allowing clients to store assets and transfer them to other market participants without the need to create their own custodial system. Initially, the service is designed for clients of the Corporate Bank and Investment Bank, including corporations, asset managers, brokers, custodians, and hedge funds.
In the initial phase, Deutsche Bank plans to provide access to a limited set of digital assets. This will include Bitcoin and Ethereum, as well as stablecoins USDC and EURC and the electronic money token EURAU. The list may change in the future depending on client demand, the bank's internal procedures, and regulatory requirements. Plans also include operations with tokenized financial instruments. The specific range of available products and service geography will be determined after the necessary approvals are completed.
To protect assets, the bank plans to use multiple layers of control. The infrastructure includes hardware key protection, employee authority segregation, multi-step transaction confirmation, and the division of storage into hot and cold wallets. Additionally, backup systems and data recovery mechanisms are provided. Deutsche Bank also highlights the unique aspects of digital assets, including risks of fraud, cyber incidents, technical failures, and high volatility. Such assets do not fall under the bank deposit guarantee schemes applied to traditional deposits.
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