Cryptocurrency
Understanding crypto custody: What different solutions entail for investors and businesses
As crypto continues to cement itself into our financial system, the question of custody, or how individuals and entities should hold their assets, is becoming increasingly important. This is especially true following the fallout of multiple centralized platforms last year, such as FTX and Gemini, which caused many investors to lose their crypto holdings.
The ethos of crypto is decentralization and ownership. Because third parties are effectively cut out, individuals have direct control over their funds. They don’t need to trust middlemen, such as banks or other centralized financial entities, to properly manage their assets.
However, this complete control is often somewhat sacrificed when the question of storage comes into play. There are two types of digital wallets for storing cryptocurrency, custodial and non-custodial wallets, and each have their unique advantages and disadvantages. The primary difference between the two lies in the control and custody of the private keys, which are the cryptographic codes that enable cryptocurrency transactions. Generally, custodial wallets are less safe but more convenient, while non-custodial wallets are more secure but less convenient.
Selecting between the two is a tricky tradeoff, but it is important that users, investors and institutions have a fundamental understanding of how each option works and the associated risks before deciding how they want to store their assets.
When investors choose to use non-custodial wallets, also referred to as self-custody, they have total control over their private keys and by extension, total control over their assets. Self-custodying is in essence the ethos of crypto — there is no counterparty risk. Full ownership gives investors the flexibility to exchange their assets wherever and however they choose.
By self-custodying, there is no risk of a third-party provider getting hacked, going bankrupt or disappearing, which provides a level of security by removing external dependencies. Furthermore, since there is no third-party involvement, transactions can be more private (depending on the blockchain used).
With custodial wallets, users put their assets in complete control of a middleman or service provider who has complete control over the private keys. This poses many security risks and increases the likelihood of loss of funds. It can also result in access limitations, as exchanges may freeze access to funds due to legal issues, policy violations or technical problems.
Even the most high-profile cryptocurrency exchanges have not been shielded from these issues. Many have been targeted and successfully hacked in the past. And if recent collapses like that of FTX have shown us anything, it’s that some firms have also been both reckless in managing customer funds or susceptible to full-blown bankruptcies. Users who custodied their assets on FTX lost tens to hundreds of millions of dollars.
So then, why do investors still choose custodial over non-custodial wallets? Custodial wallets are typically easier to use, especially for newcomers, as they often come with a user-friendly interface. Those offered by exchanges often provide more services, such as trading, borrowing, staking or rewards services. Additionally, many custodial providers have recovery options so if you forget your password or lose access to your account, there is usually a way to recover it because the service provider maintains control of the keys.
Whereas with self-custody, individuals are responsible for maintaining their private key. There is no password reset. Misplaced private keys may mean total irrecoverable loss of funds. Lastly, certain custodial providers offer insurance solutions to mitigate certain counterparty risk.
As users assess the pros and cons between both solutions, there are additional factors that have become increasingly relevant given recent market investors. When users deposit their crypto on a centralized exchange, they are essentially “loaning” their crypto coins to the exchange, in turn making them unsecured creditors. In doing so, they give the exchange the power to use those funds at its discretion, meaning the funds may be used as collateral for large loans, trades, etc.
Assuming these exchanges use the funds as intended, implement risk management strategies and keep careful records to inform next steps, they offer a convenient and theoretically safe avenue for investors to hold their crypto. Unfortunately, FTX has proven that firms don’t necessarily abide by responsible standards, calling into question the integrity of centralized exchanges and the safety of custodial wallets more broadly.
Businesses can, in part, avoid some of these third-party risks by ensuring they select exchanges that are regulatory compliant, employ high-security standards and are transparent with regard to their funds and ability to collateralize assets. As greater regulation is introduced, there should be tighter safeguards in place to protect investors and their funds when they choose to trust custodians with their crypto.
Overall, businesses and individuals should constantly scrutinize their custodial strategies to ensure their funds are properly managed. One avenue could be to employ both types of custodial solutions for funds, keeping a very close eye on those that are held by custodians and ensuring they are properly diversified.
The information provided here is not investment, tax or financial advice. You should consult with a licensed professional for advice concerning your specific situation.
Anthony Georgiades is the co-founder of Pastel Network.
This article was published through Cointelegraph Innovation Circle, a vetted organization of senior executives and experts in the blockchain technology industry who are building the future through the power of connections, collaboration and thought leadership. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Cointelegraph.
In early March, a Truth Social post by President Donald Trump promoting a “Crypto Strategic Reserve” went viral in the United States.
However, within hours of its going up, the post backfired on one of Washington, D.C.’s most well-connected lobbyists, Brian Ballard.
Truth Social Post Drama
According to a report from Politico, the idea for the post came from a staff member at Ballard’s lobbying firm who had spoken to Trump several times during a weekend donor event at Mar-a-Lago. She allegedly urged the president to back the crypto industry publicly and even suggested the language he would use.
Unknown to Trump at the time, Ripple, whose native XRP token was mentioned in the message, was a client of Ballard’s firm. CEO Brad Garlinghouse has made no secret of his desire to see XRP included in a proposed digital asset reserve.
Once the President learned of the connection, he was furious. “He is not welcome in anything anymore,” Trump reportedly told White House associates later that month, referring to Ballard.
As a result, staff were allegedly quietly directed to avoid meetings with him, effectively freezing him out of the West Wing.
Since Trump’s return to power, Ballard Partners has gained 130 new customers. The firm earned $14 million in the first three months of 2025, more than three times what it made in the same period last year.
However, some people in Trump’s circle now believe the influence peddler has gone too far. According to Politico, they think he uses his past ties to the President and his team to get more clients, even though those relationships may not be as close as he claims.
“One way to get yourself in the doghouse is for the President to think you are trading on his name,” one Trump ally told the media outlet, adding that the lobbyist overstates his “importance and value.”
Ballard Denies Accusations
In a statement to the media outlet, the 65-year-old rejected the criticisms and denied that he has been sidelined. “I have never touted my relationships with people in the West Wing to try to win clients,” he noted.
Regarding the Truth Social incident, someone from his team said they never tried to trick Trump with the message. Despite this, the situation seems to have caused Ballard some trouble with his business. A few of his clients have reportedly begun seeking alternative routes to gain access to the President and his advisers.
After opening his Washington office in 2017, Ballard quickly became one of the city’s most successful lobbyists. He is a well-known figure in Trump’s world, having helped raise tens of millions of dollars for the politician’s campaigns.
He also used to represent the Trump Organization, and his firm also employed two of the President’s close allies, Susie Wiles and Pam Bondi.
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There are certain altcoin season vibes going on in the crypto market over the past weeks, as many representatives have marked notable price surges.
The trend is led by none other than the largest of them all – Ethereum, which has soared by another 8% in the past day, and trades well above $2,500.
ETH’s Roll Continues
ETH’s price plunged hard just over a month ago as it dropped to its lowest levels in over a year on April 9 at $1,400. It managed to bounce off in the following weeks but still struggled to reclaim $1,800 decisively. After the latest positive macro developments and the Pectra upgrade, its price finally started to climb hard.
On a daily scale, ETH has soared by nearly 9%, but its weekly surge is a lot more impressive – almost 40%. This has put its price tag at well above the psychological resistance of $2,500.
Many altcoins have followed suit with notable price increases as well. DOGE is in a league of its own from the larger ones, having surged by over 16% and now trading above $0.24. ADA, AVAX, LINK, SHIB, HBAR, TON, and PEPE are other impressive examples.
PI, UNI, and NEAR have also had double-digit price pumps over the past day, while LEO is among the few in the red.
The total crypto market cap has added another $70 billion and is up to $3.470 trillion on CG.
Bitcoin Back to $104K
Although BTC is still in the green on a daily scale, its increase is a lot more modest. BTC has jumped by less than 1% and trades above $104,000 after it was stopped at $105,000 earlier.
On a weekly scale, though, bitcoin has jumped by almost 9%. It finally managed to break through the $100,000 barrier this week for the first time in over three months.
However, its dominance over the alts has taken a big hit. Recall that the metric was riding high at roughly 62% just until several days ago but has dropped to under 60% as of now.
Its market cap, on the other hand, continues to increase and is up to $2.070 trillion on CG.
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Cryptocurrency
MyStonks Launches Industry-Leading On-Chain U.S. Stock-Token Marketplace with 100% Custody Backing
[PRESS RELEASE – New York, United States, May 10th, 2025]
MyStonks.org, a decentralized trading platform, announced the official launch of a fully custody-backed, on-chain U.S. stock token marketplace in the crypto industry. Cryptocurrency users can purchase U.S. stocks on MyStonks. Global asset management giant Fidelity provides custodial services for platform users, with an initial custody asset total of $50 million.
MyStonks has successfully established a complete operational cycle that links U.S. stock assets under Fidelity Custody to the Base blockchain for token minting and burning. Users can initiate purchases of Stonks100 stock tokens on MyStonks by transferring USDC or USDT from their self-custodied crypto wallets. Upon confirmation, MyStonks converts these stablecoins into USD and purchases the corresponding stock shares. These are then tokenized 1:1 into ERC-20 tokens via Base smart contracts. For example, when buying Apple shares, users receive AAPL.M tokens minted by MyStonks.org, representing the exact number of shares held. Token pricing utilizes Chainlink oracles.
If users wish to redeem their stock tokens, they can initiate a sell request for AAPL.M or other supported assets directly from their wallets. MyStonks will then convert the tokens back into stablecoins and burn the equivalent tokens in a 1:1 ratio.
To ensure the security of user assets, MyStonks has partnered with Fidelity, which provides custody services (Fidelity Custody) for platform users’ U.S. stock holdings.
According to a custodial statement dated April 29, 2025, Fidelity Custody holds over $50 million in U.S. equities ($50,473,199.00) on behalf of MyStonks Holding Limited. The initial batch of 95 tokenized equities includes major names such as AAPL, AMZN, DIS, GOOGL, META, MSFT, NFLX, and NVDA, each of which is mirrored on-chain by its respective token.
A representative from MyStonks explained that when users purchase U.S. stock tokens on the platform, the corresponding stocks are managed by Fidelity Custody, ensuring the authenticity, compliance, and auditability of assets. Through integration with Fidelity Custody’s infrastructure, MyStonks has achieved a seamless connection between on-chain tokens and off-chain stock assets.
As a trusted institution in TradFi, Fidelity plays a key role in safeguarding asset security and compliance, making it an important partner for MyStonks in the tokenization of stock trading.
Additionally, MyStonks has upgraded its on-chain trading security and user experience. When users initiate buy or sell orders, the platform executes the corresponding operations on the blockchain, including cross-chain asset management, real stock transactions, and the minting or burning of tokens. The entire process is transparent, traceable, and decentralized, enabling users to purchase U.S. stocks in a fully digital and tokenized manner.
All trading operations are governed by smart contracts to ensure immutability and auditability. A Decentralized Identity System (DID) safeguards account uniqueness and prevents fraudulent transactions. Core smart contracts have undergone security audits and are modularly designed to isolate risk. According to MyStonks.org, off-chain fund transfers require multisignature (multisig) wallet authorization to avoid single points of failure. Cross-chain asset movements are executed through audited protocols. Additional protections include a time-lock mechanism for transaction confirmation and HTTPS/HSTS enforcement for frontend encryption.
New user experience upgrades include support for on-chain limit orders, improved wallet connectivity, a refined user account dashboard, and optimized UI layouts.
“The launch of the Stonks100 tokenized U.S. stock marketplace marks an important milestone in our ongoing journey of innovation. As we continue to expand access to tokenized equities, our focus remains on offering secure, professional, and transparent trading infrastructure. We believe MyStonks users and our global community will grow alongside us as we push the boundaries of decentralized finance,” a MyStonks.org representative said.
About MyStonks.org
MyStonks.org is a decentralized crypto asset trading platform born out of a Community Takeover (CTO) effort by the Stonks community. It is an industry-leading platform to offer fully custody-backed, 1:1 tokenized U.S. equities on-chain. MyStonks aims to become the decentralized “NASDAQ” of the crypto world—supporting new token projects and reshaping the DeFi landscape for healthier market growth.
About the Stonks Community
The Stonks community draws inspiration from the GameStop ($GME) movement and the ethos of crypto resistance.
Whitepaper: https://main.mystonks.org/pc/whitepaper.html
Fidelity Custody Report:
https://main.mystonks.org/static/pdfjs/web/viewer.html?file=/static/Proof.pdf
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