Can crypto trust firms compete with banks in US derivatives settlements?
Crypto custodians are moving into a market handling billions in daily settlements, but regulatory relief and a shift in congressional control leave questions over their long-term role.
Crypto companies are moving deeper into financial services traditionally dominated by banks, seeking a role in US derivatives settlements, where billions of dollars change hands daily.
The push comes as regulators expand the services trust companies can provide, even as traditional banking groups challenge parts of the regulatory framework governing crypto firms’ expansion into banklike activities.
A Nov. 5 decision by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) illustrates the shift, allowing derivatives clearinghouses to use trust companies for daily settlements with clearing members, a function previously restricted to banks under the agency’s regulations.