BNY has expanded its Digital Asset Custody platform to select institutional clients in the European Union, with the service now operating under the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework. The Bank of New York Mellon — one of the world's largest custodian banks — announced the move on October 8 in Brussels, positioning the firm among the first global systemically important banks to offer regulated digital asset custody in the region.

The offering covers custody, administration, and transfer of crypto-assets, and targets clients operating in one of the world's largest regulated markets for digital assets. Custody sits at the foundation of institutional digital asset participation: it allows banks, asset managers, and corporate treasurers to hold tokens within the same risk, oversight, and compliance structures they rely on for traditional assets.

MiCA Registration and Executive Comments

The expansion follows a registry update in July 2026, when The Bank of New York Mellon SA/NV, BNY's European banking entity, joined the European Securities and Markets Authority's MiCA register. That registration permits BNY to provide custody, administration, and transfer services for crypto-assets across the bloc.

MiCA serves as the European Union's overarching regulatory regime for crypto-assets, requiring providers to secure authorization before offering custody and related services across member states. Listing on the ESMA register reflects the approval firms need to deliver such services lawfully within the bloc. Authorization under the framework carries a passporting effect — a single approval extends across all member states, a design the EU built to replace fragmented national rules with one rulebook for the sector.

Jennifer Barker, Head of Europe at BNY, described the demand underpinning the launch. “Digital asset adoption is accelerating across Europe,” she said, pointing to banks and broker-dealers that are broadening their crypto-asset and stablecoin offerings. Asset managers and corporate treasurers, she added, are also exploring digital payments and tokenized securities.

Barker noted that institutions expect solutions offering “the same resilience, oversight, and safeguards” they rely on across traditional operations. In her words, BNY is providing clients with “institutional-grade infrastructure to navigate this transition with confidence.”

BNY flagged the update as breaking news in a on its official X account:

BREAKING: #BNY expands Digital Asset Custody for select institutional clients in the #EuropeanUnion under the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework. Our Digital Asset Custody platform is designed with institutional-grade security, risk management and operational expertise to… pic.twitter.com/JCBPkL85la

— BNY (@BNYglobal) October 8, 2026

Posted via X: https://x.com/BNYglobal/status/2108200875881542085?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

The post added that the platform supports digital cash, tokenized assets, payments, settlement, and collateral mobility.

Platform Security and Supported Assets

Launched in 2022, BNY Digital Asset Custody provides secure safekeeping and servicing of digital assets. The infrastructure incorporates multiparty computation technology, segregated client wallets, and storage of private keys — controls the bank designed to reinforce risk management and security across the service. Regulated custody of this kind extends a core banking function to tokens and stablecoins under a formal licensing regime.

Under this model, clients can access regulated custody for BTC, ETH, SOL, and USDC, with BNY also signaling ambitions to support a broader set of crypto-assets and stablecoins over time. For now, the platform remains available to select institutions in the European Union under the MiCA framework. How quickly the asset list expands beyond BTC, ETH, SOL, and USDC — and whether access widens beyond the initial group of select institutions — will show how far BNY carries the platform within the MiCA regime.

Emily Portney, Global Head of Asset Servicing at BNY, explained how the platform was built. “Our platform isn't a standalone solution,” she said. According to Portney, it draws on the firm's existing asset servicing expertise and controls, and the expansion equips clients to integrate operations with digital strategies “across the full asset lifecycle.”

Carolyn Weinberg, Chief Innovation and Market Transformation Officer at BNY, said the firm is “committed to building the financial infrastructure of the future in partnership with our clients.” Weinberg added that the expansion connects traditional and digital financial ecosystems, citing continued investment in BNY's capabilities.

Further details are available in BNY's official press release: