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About Zodia Custody
Zodia Custody is an institutional-grade digital asset custody platform founded in 2020 with backing from major financial institutions, including Standard Chartered. The company provides secure storage and settlement services for cryptocurrencies and tokenized assets, targeting banks, asset managers, and other professional investors.
Its core value proposition lies in bridging traditional finance and digital assets. Unlike crypto-native startups, Zodia operates under a bank-grade compliance framework, holding regulatory licenses in the UK (FCA), Luxembourg (MiCA), Hong Kong, Singapore, and Australia. The platform supports over 75 digital assets and offers segregated accounts, cold storage, and insurance coverage, addressing the security and regulatory concerns that have historically deterred institutional participation.
The primary market pain point Zodia solves is the trust deficit in crypto custody. Institutions face risks including theft, operational failures, and regulatory uncertainty. Zodia's bank-backed infrastructure, combined with multi-jurisdictional licensing, provides a compliant and secure entry point for traditional financial players seeking exposure to digital assets.
In the past six months (February to August 2026), Zodia has undergone significant structural changes. In May 2026, Standard Chartered announced that its offer to acquire full ownership of Zodia's regulated custody business was accepted. The custody operations are being integrated into Standard Chartered's Financing and Securities Services division, while Zodia's SaaS platform will continue serving third-party banks independently. In June 2026, Zodia obtained a payment institution license from Luxembourg's CSSF, enabling EU-wide custody and transfer services for stablecoins. This license complements its existing MiCA authorization and expands its service scope across the European Union.
Zodia Custody, founded in 2020 as a Standard Chartered-backed digital asset custodian, has reached several milestones with long-term significance. In 2023, it secured investment from the National Bank of Abu Dhabi, strengthening its institutional credibility. In 2024, it obtained a MiCA license, enabling regulated digital asset services across the EU—a pivotal step for compliance-driven expansion. The same year, it partnered with Galaxy Digital for European staking and with Marinade for Solana staking, broadening its institutional offerings. In 2025, it raised $18.25 million for Zodia Markets, its trading arm, and later announced that Standard Chartered would acquire its custody business, bringing it back in-house. This acquisition, expected to complete after regulatory approvals, marks a strategic consolidation of digital asset custody within a major global bank, signaling the maturation of institutional crypto infrastructure.
Over the past six months, Zodia Custody advanced its institutional custody strategy. In March, it partnered with Programmable Credit Protocol (PCP) to integrate credit orchestration infrastructure into its Solutions platform, enabling banks to conduct tokenized-asset collateral lending within the custody environment and moving custody beyond safekeeping toward capital efficiency. In June, Zodia Custody (Europe) obtained a Payment Institution licence from Luxembourg's CSSF, complementing its MiCA CASP authorisation to custody and transfer stablecoins (EMTs) compliantly across the EU, strengthening institutional settlement capabilities. Around the same time, Standard Chartered announced the acquisition of Zodia Custody's custody business, integrating it into its Financing and Securities Services division, while Zodia Solutions will continue as an independent entity under SC Ventures providing bank-grade infrastructure. CEO Julian Sawyer said the acquisition is expected to complete by end of August, with the Zodia Custody brand gradually phased out and existing clients unaffected.
Future focus: supporting financial institutions in designing, delivering and scaling digital asset services with bank-grade infrastructure; deepening custody-native credit and collateral utility; expanding stablecoin custody and settlement; and extending global regulatory licences (UK, EU, UAE, Hong Kong, Australia, etc.), while leveraging Zodia Solutions to bridge TradFi and DeFi.
Zodia Custody is an institution-focused digital asset custodian backed by Standard Chartered, SBI, Northern Trust, and NAB. Key executives include:
Julian Sawyer (CEO): Former CEO of Bitstamp, COO of Starling Bank, and founder of Bluerock Consulting. He has 27+ years in financial services.
James Harris (Chief Commercial Officer): Previously held commercial roles at crypto and fintech firms; drives business development and client strategy.
Ami N. (Managing Director, Luxembourg & Authorised Manager): Former VP at MUFG Investor Services, with experience at Goldman Sachs and BNP Paribas. Oversees EU operations.
No reliable information on co-founders beyond these executives was found.
Zodia Custody has recently seen team changes. Andrea Ang, Head of APAC, joined in May 2025 and left in July 2026, later joining Sanctum as Head of Institutional. Sam Hill, Head of Operations, joined in March 2025 and left in July 2026. Earlier, COO Samuel Howe departed in March 2025, with Sam Hill taking over, but Hill has now also left. Despite executive changes, the firm's headcount grew from 97 in 2023 to 140, and it continues global expansion.