SIX, a provider of financial market infrastructure in Switzerland, has secured regulatory clearance from the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) for a major structural change. The authority has greenlit the integration of the company’s specialized digital central securities depository—previously operated as SIX Digital Exchange AG—directly into its established SIX SIS AG unit.
At the same time, FINMA has authorized SIX to deliver cryptocurrency custody services through this consolidated central securities depository.
This consolidation represents a decisive step toward unifying services for both conventional securities and digital assets under one regulated legal entity. For years, SIX has maintained separate infrastructures to handle traditional markets and blockchain-based assets.
The merger eliminates that divide, creating a single platform capable of supporting end-to-end post-trade operations across asset classes.
Financial institutions will now be able to manage custody of cryptocurrencies using the same secure, FINMA-supervised framework already trusted for stocks, bonds, and other traditional instruments.
The development delivers clear advantages in terms of simplicity and reliability. Clients gain legal certainty and stronger operational safeguards because crypto holdings will sit alongside conventional assets within a single, battle-tested depository.
Rather than navigating multiple systems, market participants can rely on one streamlined connection.
SIX describes this as a unified gateway that links legacy finance with the digital economy, minimizing administrative burdens and scaling efficiently to meet growing demand.
Industry professionals see the approval as an important evolution in regulated digital finance. Switzerland has positioned itself as a pioneer in overseeing distributed-ledger technology for capital markets.
By folding its digital capabilities into the core CSD, SIX strengthens that leadership.
The move also aligns with broader institutional interest in crypto, where banks and asset managers seek compliant, low-friction ways to expand offerings without sacrificing the protections of traditional market infrastructure.
Rafael Moral Santiago, Head of Securities Services and a member of SIX’s Executive Board, noted that the company’s goal is to offer financial institutions a single, secure entry point to digital assets.
Extending the existing CSD to cover crypto custody, he explained, blends fresh innovation with the proven stability of established systems.
The initiative forms part of SIX’s longer-term plan to grow as a comprehensive provider of integrated post-trade solutions across Europe by 2030.
Headquartered in Switzerland and serving clients internationally, SIX operates exchanges and post-trade services while also providing financial information and payments infrastructure.
Owned by approximately 120 financial institutions, the group reported solid performance in 2025 and continues to invest in technology that bridges conventional and emerging markets.
The FINMA approval signals accelerating maturity in the digital asset space. As regulatory clarity improves and infrastructure consolidates, institutional adoption of crypto is expected to accelerate.
