BNY Mellon forms digital assets unit to include crypto

BNY Mellon has formed a new enterprise Digital Assets unit , that utilizes blockchain technology to accelerate the development of solutions and capabilities to help clients address growing and evolving needs related to the growth of digital assets, including cryptocurrencies. The cross-functional, cross-business team, which will be led by Mike Demissie, head of Advanced Solutions at BNY Mellon, is currently developing a client-facing prototype that is designed to be the industry's first multi-asset digital custody and administration platform for traditional and digital assets.

"BNY Mellon is proud to be the first global bank to announce plans to provide an integrated service for digital assets," said Roman Regelman, CEO of Asset Servicing and Head of Digital at BNY Mellon. "Growing client demand for digital assets, maturity of advanced solutions, and improving regulatory clarity present a tremendous opportunity for us to extend our current service offerings to this emerging field. Pending further evaluations and approvals, we expect to begin offering these innovative and industry-shaping capabilities later this year."  

"The Digital Assets unit plans to deliver a secure infrastructure for transferring, safekeeping and issuing digital assets," said Demissie. "Consistent with our open-architecture approach, the unit will leverage BNY Mellon's digital expertise and leading technologies from fintechs and other collaborators to speed up product development and help our clients tap into the best available solutions in the market."

The Digital Asset unit will build on BNY Mellon's digital savvy and strong expertise in investment services and investment management. By leveraging advanced solutions such as blockchain, the technology behind digital assets, BNY Mellon will improve custody and other investment services.

"Enabling the use of digital assets is critical to transforming the future of custody," said Caroline Butler, head of Custody at BNY Mellon. "Building the bridge between the traditional and digital spaces will create a front-to-back ecosystem for innovation. Our digital asset capabilities should help evolve the way the financial industry operates, including custody, collateral management, issuance, investment management and other segments where BNY Mellon is a key service provider."