Anchorage
Anchorage Digital enables institutions to custody, trade, and settle digital assets on a regulated platform.
Anchorage Digital is a global institutional crypto platform providing custody, trading, staking, governance, and settlement infrastructure for digital assets. As the first federally chartered crypto bank in the US (OCC-chartered in January 2021), it serves financial institutions, governments, and enterprises with institutional-grade security built by former security leaders from Square and Docker. The company differentiates through regulatory compliance, patent-holding security infrastructure, and Atlas—its proprietary settlement network that minimizes friction in crypto transactions.
Problem solved
Institutional investors lack a federally regulated, secure platform to custody, trade, and settle digital assets with the same compliance standards as traditional finance.
Target customer
Financial institutions (banks, VCs, fintechs), governments, enterprise treasuries, and institutional investors seeking regulated, secure digital asset management and settlement.
Founders
N
Nathan McCauley
CEO & Co-Founder
Former infrastructure security leader at Square (built security platform moving $80B+ GPV annually) and Docker (co-led security team). Previously at Arxan Technologies on military-grade security.
D
Diogo Mónica
Executive Chairman & Co-Founder
Co-led Docker's security team with McCauley; served as President of Anchorage until 2024, now partner at crypto VC firm and Chairman of NEAR Foundation.
Funding history
Series A
$17M
June 2018
Led by Unknown
· Unknown
Series B
$40M
Unknown
Led by Blockchain Capital
· Unknown
Series C
$80M
Unknown
Led by GIC
· Andreessen Horowitz, Blockchain Capital, Lux Capital, Indico
Series D
$350M
December 2021
Led by KKR
· Goldman Sachs, Alameda Research, Andreessen Horowitz, Apollo, BlackRock, Blockchain Capital, Elad Gil, GIC, GoldenTree, Kraken, Lux Capital, PayPal Ventures, Senator, Standard Investments, Thoma Bravo, Wellington Management
Series E
$100M
February 2026
Led by Unknown
· Unknown
Total raised:
$587M
Industries
Pricing
Enterprise/institutional custom pricing. No publicly standardized pricing model available.
Notable customers
Blockchain Capital, Polychain, Paradigm, a16z Crypto, 21Shares, US Department of Justice (digital asset custody), B2C2, Visa
Integrations
Visa (Ethereum blockchain API infrastructure), Ethena Labs (USDtb stablecoin issuance), B2C2 (Atlas settlement integration), Mountain Protocol (stablecoin issuance via acquisition)
Website
Competitors
BitGo
Established custody provider but lacks OCC federal charter and proprietary settlement layer like Atlas.
Hex Trust
Regional Asia-focused custody player with less comprehensive institutional infrastructure and regulatory standing.
Digital Securities
Narrower focus on tokenized securities rather than broad digital asset custody and settlement.
Fidelity Digital Assets
Legacy financial services player entering crypto but lacks Anchorage's fintech-native architecture and settlement capabilities.
Why this matters: Anchorage Digital is the only federally chartered crypto bank in the US, making it uniquely positioned as institutional crypto infrastructure. Its dual focus on security-first custody and proprietary settlement (Atlas) addresses the gap between crypto's technical innovation and traditional finance's regulatory and operational requirements, positioning it as essential rails for institutional digital asset adoption.
Best for: Large financial institutions, governments, and enterprises requiring federally regulated, institutionally-secure custody and settlement of digital assets with compliance-grade infrastructure.
Use cases
Government Digital Asset Custody
The US Department of Justice uses Anchorage Digital as custodian for all seized or forfeited digital assets in criminal cases, relying on OCC charter and security infrastructure to meet government compliance requirements.
Spot Bitcoin ETF Custody Diversification
Asset managers like 21Shares diversify custodian risk by using Anchorage Digital Bank alongside BitGo, ensuring regulatory soundness and operational resilience across multiple OCC-chartered institutions.
Institutional Crypto Trading with Settlement
Institutional traders like B2C2 execute crypto trades via Anchorage's smart order routing and settle directly through Atlas, reducing capital requirements and settlement time versus traditional OTC workflows.
Stablecoin Issuance Infrastructure
Anchorage partners with fintech platforms (Ethena Labs) to issue regulated stablecoins (USDtb) under OCC supervision, providing the custody and compliance backbone for compliant digital currency products.
Alternatives
BitGo
Largest independent crypto custodian but lacks federal banking charter and proprietary settlement layer for institutional trading efficiency.
Fidelity Digital Assets
Backed by legacy financial services giant with institutional trust, but slower fintech-native architecture and less crypto-specialized trading infrastructure.
Hex Trust
Strong in Asia-Pacific markets with institutional custody, but lacks US federal regulation and broader settlement capabilities.
FAQ
What does Anchorage Digital do? +
Anchorage Digital is a federally regulated crypto platform that provides institutional-grade custody, trading, staking, governance, and settlement infrastructure for digital assets. As the first OCC-chartered crypto bank in the US, it serves financial institutions, governments, and enterprises with security-first infrastructure and Atlas, its proprietary settlement network.
How much does Anchorage Digital cost? +
Pricing is not publicly available and is negotiated on an enterprise basis per client, typically customized around custody fees, trading volumes, and settlement usage.
What are alternatives to Anchorage Digital? +
Top alternatives include BitGo (largest independent custodian, no federal charter), Fidelity Digital Assets (legacy institutional trust, slower innovation), and Hex Trust (strong in Asia-Pacific custody).
Who uses Anchorage Digital? +
Institutional investors (Blockchain Capital, Polychain, Paradigm, a16z Crypto), asset managers (21Shares), trading firms (B2C2), major tech companies (Visa), government agencies (US Department of Justice), and fintech platforms issuing stablecoins.
How does Anchorage Digital compare to BitGo? +
Anchorage holds an OCC federal bank charter, making it the only federally regulated crypto bank and ideal for government and highly regulated institution custody. BitGo is the largest independent custodian by assets but lacks federal banking status. Anchorage also offers Atlas, a proprietary settlement layer for institutional trading, whereas BitGo focuses primarily on custody.
Is Anchorage Digital secure? +
Yes. Co-founders Diogo Mónica and Nathan McCauley are patent-holding security engineers who previously built security infrastructure at Square (processing $80B+ annually) and Docker (securing containerization). Anchorage uses biometric authentication, hardware security modules, and OCC oversight for asset security.
What is Atlas? +
Atlas (Anchorage Trusted Liquidity and Settlement) is Anchorage's proprietary network that enables fast, efficient settlement of crypto trades between institutional counterparties. It minimizes friction in fund settlement and enables direct on-chain transactions.
Tags
cryptocurrency
custody
digital assets
blockchain
institutional finance
settlement
staking
security
regulated banking
fintech