Anchorage Digital is an institutional-grade financial services and infrastructure platform for the digital asset sector, based in the United States. The company operates Anchorage Digital Bank, National Association, which was the first crypto-native company to receive a federal banking charter from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). ^{[1] [2]} This charter allows it to function as an "unequivocal qualified custodian," providing regulated custody, trading, staking, governance, and settlement services. ^[1] The firm's target clients include venture capital firms, hedge funds, asset managers, corporations, governments, and cryptocurrency protocols. ^[1]​

History and Development

The official social media presence for Anchorage Digital on the X platform was established in April 2018. ^[3] A pivotal moment in the company's history was securing the first federal banking charter for a crypto-native company from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), allowing it to operate as Anchorage Digital Bank, N.A. ^[1] This regulatory status became a cornerstone of its business model, positioning it as a compliant and secure partner for institutions entering the digital asset space. ^[2]​

To expand its service offerings, Anchorage Digital announced the acquisition of Mountain Protocol. The move was intended to enhance its stablecoin infrastructure and support broader institutional adoption of stablecoins. ^[1]​

Tether's investment in Anchorage Digital

On February 5, 2026, Tether Investments, the investment division of Tether, announced a 4.2 billion and was described as an expansion of the existing partnership between the two companies, which included Anchorage Digital's role as the issuer for Tether's USA₮ stablecoin. ^[3] Around the same time, Anchorage Digital also announced it had added support for 22 new crypto assets on networks including Arbitrum, Base, and Binance Smart Chain, consistent with its framework for asset support. ^[3]​

In early February 2026, the company's social media profile indicated planned expansions into Hong Kong and Denver. ^[3]​

Legal and Regulatory Structure

Anchorage Digital operates through several wholly-owned subsidiaries of its parent company, Anchor Labs, Inc. Each subsidiary is tailored to specific functions and jurisdictions, adhering to relevant regulatory frameworks. ^[1]​

Anchorage Digital Bank, National Association

Anchorage Digital Bank, N.A. is the first federally chartered crypto bank in the United States, regulated by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). This entity provides the core institutional services of custody, settlement, staking, and governance. Its status as a national bank allows it to serve as a qualified custodian under U.S. regulations, a key requirement for many institutional investors. ^[1]​

Anchorage Digital New York, LLC

This subsidiary holds a BitLicense (No. 0000041) from the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS). It is responsible for providing agency trading services to clients located in the state of New York, which has its own specific regulatory regime for virtual currency businesses. ^[1]​

Anchorage Digital Singapore Pte. Ltd.

Catering to the Asian market, this entity is licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). It provides custody, staking, and governance services to institutional clients within its jurisdiction, operating in compliance with Singapore's financial regulations. ^[1]​

Other Subsidiaries

• Anchorage Hold, LLC: Provides digital asset trading services outside of New York.
• Anchorage Services, LLC: An NFA-registered introducing broker with National Futures Association ID No. 0532710.
• A1 Ltd.: Operates as a principal trading business, engaging in trades for its own account.

The company explicitly states that digital assets held in its custody are not insured by government-backed programs such as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC), or the Singapore Deposit Insurance Corporation (SDIC). Services are generally offered to institutional clients and, in select cases, certain high-net-worth individuals. ^[1]​

Products and Services

Anchorage Digital offers an integrated platform of products and services designed to provide institutions with a single point of access to the digital asset ecosystem. ^[1]​

Custody

The core of Anchorage Digital's offering is its regulated custody solution for digital assets and U.S. dollars, provided through Anchorage Digital Bank, N.A. The company emphasizes its security model, which segregates client assets, provides bankruptcy protections, and stores cryptographic keys in air-gapped hardware security modules (HSMs) to eliminate single points of failure. This infrastructure is designed to provide institutional-grade security beyond physical storage methods. ^{[1] [3]}​

Trading

The platform provides an institutional trading service with access to deep liquidity and tight pricing. It operates through two models: agency trading, where it executes trades on behalf of clients (provided by Anchorage Digital New York, LLC in New York and Anchorage Hold, LLC elsewhere), and principal trading, conducted through its subsidiary A1 Ltd. ^[1]​

Staking

Anchorage Digital Bank was the first U.S. federally chartered bank approved to offer staking services directly from custody. This allows institutions to participate in proof-of-stake network validation and earn rewards on their holdings without moving them out of a secure, regulated environment. The service supports over 20 assets, including Ethereum, Solana, Aptos, and Sui, and provides flexible options for validator delegation. ^[1]​

Settlement (Atlas Settlement)

Atlas is an on-chain settlement network developed by Anchorage Digital. It is designed to reduce the counterparty, delivery, and bankruptcy risks that are often associated with trading on centralized exchanges by enabling more direct and transparent settlement of transactions on the blockchain. ^[1]​

Self-Custody (Porto by Anchorage Digital)

Porto is a self-custody wallet solution offered by the company. It allows clients to directly hold and manage their own assets, including ERC-20 tokens, SPL tokens, and assets on other EVM-compatible chains. This product is designed for institutions looking to participate directly in decentralized finance (DeFi) and other Web3 activities while retaining control of their keys. ^[1]​

Stablecoin Services

Anchorage Digital provides infrastructure for stablecoin issuers and users. This includes:

• Issuance: The company offers the underlying banking, compliance, and custody infrastructure for protocols and partners to issue stablecoins. A primary example is its role as a regulated partner for Tether in the launch of USA₮.
• Stablecoin Rewards: A service that allows clients to hold cash or treasury reserves in stablecoins and earn rewards on those holdings. ^[1]

Other Services

• Anchorage Digital Prime: An integrated suite of prime brokerage services for institutions that combines trading, financing, and custody, offering access to margin trading and derivatives.
• Token Generation Events (TGE): The company provides services to support crypto protocols throughout their launch process, including pre-launch preparation, mainnet launch execution, and post-launch support. ^[1]
• Governance: The platform facilitates client participation in the on-chain governance of blockchain protocols, allowing them to vote on proposals related to the assets they hold in custody. ^[2]

Partnerships and Clients

Anchorage Digital has formed partnerships with a wide range of firms across traditional finance and the digital asset industry.

• Tether: A significant strategic partner. Anchorage Digital Bank acts as the regulated issuer for Tether's USA₮ stablecoin, which is aimed at the U.S. market, and also partnered with Ethena Labs to help onshore the USDtb stablecoin. In February 2026, Tether's investment arm made a $100 million equity investment in Anchorage Digital. ^{[1] [2]}
• BlackRock: The world's largest asset manager selected Anchorage Digital as a digital asset service provider for its institutional clients. ^[1]
• Western Union: The global payments company partnered with Anchorage Digital to explore using the Solana blockchain for more efficient global payments and to leverage digital dollars within its network. ^[1]
• ETF Issuers: The company was named the exclusive qualified custodian and staking partner for the first SEC-registered staking ETF in the U.S., a product from REX Shares and Osprey Funds. ^[1]
• DeFi and Blockchain Integrations: Anchorage Digital has integrated the Uniswap Labs trading API natively into its platform, giving institutional clients direct access to DeFi liquidity. It also became the first federally chartered bank to offer institutional access to Solana liquid staking through an integration with JitoSOL. ^[1]
• Clients and Protocol Partners: The firm provides services to prominent asset managers like Grayscale and venture firms such as Electric Capital and BlockTower Capital. It also maintains partnerships with numerous protocol foundations for custody and on-chain services, including Protocol Labs, Starkware, cLabs, Axelar, and the ZK Alliance Foundation. ^[1]

Funding and Investors

February 2026 Tether Investment

On February 5, 2026, Tether Investments announced a 4.2 billion. Tether's CEO stated the investment was influenced by the positive experience of working with Anchorage Digital's regulated infrastructure for the issuance of the USA₮ stablecoin and reflected a shared belief in building secure and transparent financial systems. ^{[2] [3]}​

Other Key Investors

Anchorage Digital is backed by a number of prominent venture capital and traditional finance institutions. Key investors displayed by the company include:

• a16zcrypto
• Apollo
• Blockchain Capital
• GIC (Singapore's sovereign wealth fund)
• Goldman Sachs
• KKR
• Visa^[1]

Key People

• Nathan McCauley: Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Anchorage Digital. ^{[2] [3]}

Notable Quotes

• On the company's regulatory approach and the February 2026 investment from Tether, CEO Nathan McCauley stated: "Tether’s investment is a strong validation of the infrastructure we’ve spent years building the hard way. We’ve believed from day one that digital assets would only scale through secure, regulated foundations. This alliance reflects shared conviction in that approach—and gives us even more momentum as we continue building critical financial infrastructure for stablecoin issuance and the next era of markets.” ^[2]
• Robert Mitchnick, Head of Digital Assets at BlackRock, commented on their partnership: "As demand for digital asset products increases, and as our footprint in the ecosystem grows, we continue to expand our network of service providers with a focus on the highest quality institutional providers. After a thorough evaluation, Anchorage Digital clearly meets these standards." ^[1]
• Speaking on the launch of the USA₮ stablecoin, Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether, said: "We value Anchorage Digital Bank’s role as the first and only federally regulated crypto bank and issuer supporting the launch of USA₮, the first stablecoin built for the United States." ^[1]
• Devin McGranahan, CEO of Western Union, remarked on their collaboration: "This partnership allows us to bring the benefits of digital dollars to our network and reach virtually every corner of the globe. With Anchorage Digital as our regulated partner and Solana’s blockchain technology, we’re taking a meaningful step toward faster, more efficient, and more inclusive payments for our customers." ^[1]
• P. Bart Stephens, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of investor Blockchain Capital, noted: "We believe Anchorage Digital is the safest place to hold digital assets, having modernized crypto custody beyond physical storage with advanced security engineering." ^[1]