Hedera Gets Major Boost as Anchorage Digital Approves HBAR for Regulated Custody

• Anchorage Digital has added regulated custody support for Hedera, strengthening institutional HBAR adoption.
• Several blockchain firms like Ripple are shifting towards crypto custody solutions as global financial markets shift toward tokenization.

Anchorage Digital, a leading U.S.-based digital asset platform, announced it now supports regulated custody for Hedera’s native token, HBAR. With this move, Anchorage says it is strengthening and deepening institutional access.

Anchorage Digital Adds Custody Support for HBAR

Anchorage shared the news in a post via X on December 4. Custody support for HBAR means Anchorage has integrated HBAR into its platform. This means banks, funds, and asset managers can now safely store HBAR through the Anchorage platform.

They can also trade HBAR on-chain through Anchorage’s tools and stake the token compliantly to earn yields.

The staking feature is backed by enterprise-grade HSM security, on-chain settlement, and DeFi access through the Porto platform.

This move signals that Hedera is now recognized as an institutional-ready digital financial infrastructure. It also positions Hedera alongside assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum, supported by Coinbase Custody, BNY Mellon, and Copper.

In addition to the institutional entry, Anchorage’s custody support unlocks regulatory legitimacy for HBAR in the U.S. market. Furthermore, it provides a stronger foundation for the next phase of Hedera’s growth.

Essentially, HBAR has become eligible for corporate treasuries, ETFs, venture funds, OTC desks, and DeFi integrations. For instance, BlackRock could now more easily include it in products.

Unlike unregulated exchanges, Anchorage is designed specifically for custody, staking, token issuance, and institutional DeFi. It emphasizes compliance, security, and integration with traditional finance (TradFi).

The platform has partnered with giants like BlackRock and Tether, making it a bridge between TradFi and Web3. As mentioned in our previous news brief, Anchorage partnered with Ethena to issue a U.S.-compliant stablecoin.

Crypto Firms Shifting to Custody Solutions

For emphasis, the addition of HBAR custody marks a strategic inflection point for Hedera’s institutional adoption.

As global finance moves toward regulated digital assets, Anchorage’s support reinforces the role of Hedera in powering compliant DeFi, RWA tokenization, and public data solutions.

Meanwhile, blockchain firms have recently shifted their attention to crypto custody solutions. As featured in our recent coverage, Ripple unveiled a custody solution built for institutions looking to manage digital assets securely.

The move comes as global financial markets shift toward tokenization. Projections already show that about 10% of assets worldwide could be tokenized by 2030.

Intriguingly, Ripple Custody also supports HBAR through a verified academic study, enabling secure cross-chain institutional asset management.

In a similar move, Mastercard expanded its Crypto Credential system to support self-custody wallets. As reviewed in our recent publication, Polygon became the first blockchain to enable verified, human-readable aliases.

Per the details, Mercuryo, a fintech company, enables these human-readable aliases to make crypto transfers more intuitive.