Bitcoin, Ether ETFs face custody risk as Coinbase holds 80%

Key Takeaways:

• Coinbase safeguards over 80% of U.S. Bitcoin and Ethereum ETF assets.
• Centralized custody creates efficiencies but heightens concentration and single-point-of-failure risks.
• Regulators emphasize qualified custodian standards, asset segregation, and robust operational oversight.

Coinbase has custody of over 80% of U.S. Bitcoin and Ethereum ETF assets, according to a shareholder letter filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for Q2 2025. That level of scale centralizes key management and safekeeping for most spot crypto ETFs in a single provider.

The concentration can create operational efficiencies, but it also introduces concentration risk. A cyber incident, service disruption, or governance failure at one custodian could affect multiple funds at once, with knock-on effects for creations, redemptions, and trading liquidity.

Independent specialists have flagged the single‑point‑of‑failure concern. As reported by BitcoinInsider.org, Gabor Gurbacs characterized the setup as a serious risk and questioned whether fund boards are adequately addressing it.

Regulatory expectations around “qualified custodian” standards remain pivotal. As covered by Investopedia in summarizing remarks from SEC leadership, the bar includes segregation of client assets, safeguarding controls, and robust operational oversight, areas that remain under close scrutiny for crypto custody.

Issuers gravitated to Coinbase’s integrated stack across custody, trading, and financing, which can simplify ETF operations. As reported by Coinlive.com, market infrastructure veterans caution that bundling too many functions at one firm departs from the traditional separation used to improve resilience.

Competition is emerging as assets grow. The Block has noted that Kraken launched an institutional custody service explicitly positioning against concentration risk, signaling active efforts to diversify the provider landscape.

Coinbase leadership frames its role as a trust signal while acknowledging how diversification typically evolves. Before that view, consider the operational context above. “Larger funds often diversify custodians as assets scale,” said Brian Armstrong, CEO of Coinbase.

Risk mitigation typically centers on redundant arrangements, incident‑response playbooks, and rigorous audits and insurance, alongside strict asset segregation. The practical test will be whether more ETF boards add secondary or backup custodians as assets and operational complexity increase.

At the time of this writing, Coinbase Global (COIN) recently traded around $171 with notable intraday swings, based on data from Yahoo Finance. This market snapshot offers contextual background rather than guidance.

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