BNY is adding Galaxy’s staking infrastructure to its digital asset custody platform, giving eligible institutional clients access to custody and staking through one servicing model.
Summary
- Galaxy will provide institutional staking through BNY’s Digital Asset Custody platform.
- The service remains subject to regulatory review and will be limited to eligible clients.
- BNY is also developing onchain transfer agency and tokenized Treasury infrastructure.
- BNY’s Belgian subsidiary recently received MiCA authorization for crypto custody and transfers.
BNY adds staking to institutional crypto custody
Galaxy said it has entered a strategic collaboration with BNY to integrate staking into the bank’s Digital Asset Custody platform. The arrangement will combine asset safekeeping and staking within a single institutional workflow.
Eligible clients will be able to use staking alongside BNY services such as fund accounting, tax reporting, payments and client reporting, where applicable. Galaxy will supply the staking infrastructure and act as a design partner for BNY’s broader digital asset platform.
The companies said the model could simplify institutional participation in proof-of-stake networks by reducing the need to coordinate between separate custody and staking providers. Client assets would remain within BNY’s institutional custody framework while accessing Galaxy’s staking capabilities.
However, the companies did not disclose which proof-of-stake assets the platform will support or when the service will become available. The launch remains subject to regulatory review.
“As digital assets continue to evolve, clients want more than safekeeping alone — they want a broader set of capabilities delivered through an institutional-grade model,” BNY Chief Product and Innovation Officer Carolyn Weinberg said.
Why the Galaxy partnership matters for US institutions
The collaboration expands the services available through a major U.S. custodian as banks compete to support institutional demand for digital assets. BNY reported $62.6 trillion in assets under custody or administration as of June 30.
Institutional staking can generate protocol rewards by committing eligible crypto assets to proof-of-stake networks. Yet the activity also introduces operational, technical and regulatory considerations that differ from conventional asset custody.
Combining both services could give asset managers and other institutions a more familiar route into staking. BNY would provide the custody and reporting framework, while Galaxy would handle the underlying staking infrastructure.
For U.S. institutions, the regulatory-review condition remains important. The companies have not said which regulators must approve the service or whether access will vary by client type or jurisdiction.
“The future of financial markets will be built on open, programmable rails, and the institutions that move first will define the era that follows,” Galaxy Global Co-Head of Digital Assets Steve Kurz said.
BNY expands onchain fund infrastructure
The staking agreement follows BNY’s move in late July to bring investment fund ownership records onchain through a blockchain-enabled transfer agency platform.
The platform will allow fund transactions and official shareholder records to be maintained on a shared digital ledger. BNY will continue operating its traditional transfer agency services alongside the blockchain-based system.
Rather than only tokenizing investment products, the bank is applying blockchain technology to the record-keeping systems that support fund administration. The model is intended to create a shared source of ownership information for institutions involved in processing and servicing funds.
BNY has also completed after-hours U.S. Treasury transactions with stablecoin issuers. The bank reportedly plans to introduce tokenized U.S. Treasuries before the end of 2026 and conduct pilot transactions on a private blockchain during the year.
MiCA approval supports BNY’s European crypto push
BNY is also expanding its regulated digital asset operations in Europe. ESMA added BNY SA/NV, the bank’s Belgian subsidiary, to its interim Markets in Crypto-Assets register in July.
The National Bank of Belgium authorized the subsidiary to provide crypto-asset custody and transfer services. Its addition came as ESMA’s register reached 309 authorized providers following 15 new entries.
The approval gives BNY a regulated route to offer specified crypto services under the European Union’s MiCA framework. Combined with the Galaxy agreement and its onchain fund platform, the authorization shows BNY is building separate but connected infrastructure across custody, staking, tokenized assets and fund administration.
The next step will depend on regulatory clearance for the staking service and details about supported assets, client eligibility and launch timing.
