Zodia Custody, an institution-first digital asset custodian whose shareholders include Standard Chartered, SBI Holdings, and Northern Trust, has partnered with Forteus Investment Management, the investment advisory business of the Numeus Group, and backed by Schroders, to provide secure custody and staking solutions.
Forteus’ Digital Asset Select investment strategy “provides long exposure to a diversified set of themes in the digital asset ecosystem.”
Tokens are carefully selected based “on rigorous bottom-up fundamental research and on-chain data analytics; the portfolio is actively managed within a top-down risk management framework.”
By leveraging the staking infrastructure via vetted and approved third-party staking providers accessed through Zodia Custody Gateway, the partnership “directly answers the rapidly growing institutional demand to earn potential rewards and additional income from digital asset holdings.”
According to findings by data aggregator DefiLlama, $86 billion worth of funds are currently staked via various protocols, showing “a dramatic increase compared to the $37 billion seen in the last quarter of 2023.”
Zodia Custody’s Staking enablement Service has “been designed to be as frictionless as possible.”
At the same time, it also “provides greater assurances to institutions through robust security measures, such as cold storage and counterparty risk protection, built into the custodian’s infrastructure.”
The partnership provides Forteus “with an opportunity to connect with staking providers and institutional-grade security for its clients’ assets with Zodia Custody.”
Both firms are backed by global institutions, “providing them with a unique depth of expertise in bridging gaps between digital assets and traditional finance.”
This partnership is built on shared values “committed to regulatory compliance and governance, as well as established experience in supporting the specific needs of institutions.”
Julian Sawyer, CEO, Zodia Custody said:
“By working with Forteus, we are enabling wider access to digital asset staking solutions specifically for institutions with an innovative, like-minded partner. In leveraging Forteus’ deep investment expertise, we are not just meeting the needs of an institutional investor, but expanding the opportunities for investors in the digital asset space to yield better results.”
Nicolas Vanhoutteghem, President of Forteus, said:
“Close collaboration with industry leaders like the team at Zodia Custody is critical in providing the robust custody and staking solutions that clients need, at pace and at scale. Our collaboration is a testament to our pursuit of excellence in both investment outcomes, as well as custody, security and risk management.”
The move follows a string of recent Zodia partnerships with industry leaders “such as ETC Group, DWS Group, and Tokenet that strengthen the digital asset ecosystem through the delivery of compliant products, secure custody, and robust risk management solutions.”