Crypto bank Anchorage acquires Securitize's wealth management unit

Anchorage Digital has acquired tokenization giant Securitize’s wealth management unit, Securitize For Advisors, according to an announcement on Monday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. 

The move will help Anchorage, the first federally chartered crypto bank, expand its financial advisory services for registered investment advisors. Anchorage will absorb Securitize For Advisors’ team and front-end platform. 

According to the announcement, Securitize For Advisors has grown more than 4,500% over the past year, and has set new all-time highs in new deposits and net assets under management. 

This summer, President Donald Trump signed an executive order paving the way for digital assets to be included in retirement accounts, one of many regulatory changes that have promoted crypto finance experimentation in the U.S.

“RIAs are driving one of the most important waves of crypto adoption. By bringing together Anchorage Digital’s federally regulated custody platform with SFA’s technology and expertise, we’re building the premier solution for wealth managers and their clients,” Anchorage CEO Nathan McCauley said in a statement.

Anchorage provides federally regulated digital asset custody for many of Securitize's platforms and funds. This includes secure storage for client assets, with 99% of Securitize For Advisors assets already custodied at Anchorage before the acquisition.

Corporate growth

In October, Securitize disclosed plans to go public through a SPAC merger at a $1.25 billion pre-money equity valuation. The firm, founded in 2017, is the leading tokenization platform and the issuer of the largest onchain Treasurys product, BlackRock’s BUIDL fund. 

Securitize CEO Carlos Domingo noted in the statement that its advisory unit was “an incredible success story,” but the sale will allow Securitize to double down on its “core business.”

Anchorage launched a registered investment advisor offering, providing custody and settlement services in 2023, with Securitize subsidiary Onramp Invest as an early user. The firm, perhaps best known for its custody operations, has been expanding into new markets, including helping in notable regulated stablecoin launches like Tether’s USAT and OSL Group’s USDGO.