Digital Asset Custody Channels May Expand as SEC Proposes Allowing Investment Advisers to Self-Custody Under Certain Circumstances

According to Bitcoin News on X, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has proposed updating digital asset custody rules to allow investment advisers to self-custody when no qualified custodian is willing to custody specific assets, provided they meet requirements such as written assessment, multi-party authorization for transfers, wallet segregation, and security reviews. The proposal also seeks to allow qualifying state-chartered trust companies to serve as qualified custodians for digital assets such as Bitcoin. The proposal does not yet specify approval of any particular digital asset for investment adviser custody; if ultimately passed, Bitcoin could benefit due to its relatively mature existing institutional custody infrastructure.