Cactus Custody Launches Swiss Custody Service, With Keys and Client Data Held in Switzerland

For most of the last decade, institutions evaluating a digital asset custodian asked how the keys were secured. Increasingly, they ask a different question first: which country's law governs the arrangement, and what happens to client assets if the custodian fails.

Cactus Custody, the institutional custody business of BIT group, has launched a Swiss custody service operated by ChainTech AG, a company registered in Switzerland and a member of VQF, a self-regulatory organisation recognised by FINMA. It sits alongside the firm's existing operations in Hong Kong and Bhutan, giving clients a choice of governing jurisdiction rather than a single default.

Why the jurisdiction matters

Switzerland built its digital asset framework early and deliberately. Under the amendments introduced by the Swiss DLT Act, crypto-assets held in custody for clients may be segregated from the custodian's bankruptcy estate, subject to the conditions set out in the applicable legislation. Client assets held with ChainTech AG are segregated from the company's own assets at both the legal and operational level.

The country also offers one of the strongest data protection regimes available to financial institutions. ChainTech AG operates in accordance with the revised Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection.

Keys and data stay in the country

The Swiss custody service is built on a simple operating principle: the material that matters most does not leave Switzerland.

Private keys for the Swiss entity are generated and held within Swiss data centre infrastructure, on hardware security modules certified to FIPS 140-2 and FIPS 140-3. They are not held or backed up outside the country. Client data is stored on infrastructure located in Switzerland, and disclosure to third parties occurs only where required under Swiss law and through the applicable legal process.

The result is that the law governing the custody relationship, the location of the cryptographic material, and the location of the client record are all the same jurisdiction. For institutions that have spent the past two years mapping counterparty and jurisdictional exposure, that alignment is the point.

What is live

The Swiss service launches with the full account structure available to Cactus Custody clients elsewhere: segregated address accounts supporting warm and cold configurations, DeFi accounts including access via Cactus Link, and ETH staking accounts.

At launch, ChainTech AG supports 132 digital assets across 18 networks, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, TRON, Arbitrum, Base, Optimism, Sui, Polkadot and Hyperliquid. Networks are added following independent legal and security assessment, and the list expands on that basis.

Cactus Custody's existing insurance coverage and third-party audit reports currently apply to its Hong Kong and Bhutan entities. Extension to the Swiss entity is planned following launch.

Institutions evaluating custody arrangements in Switzerland can speak to the Cactus Custody team.

This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer, solicitation, or investment, legal or tax advice. Services are subject to eligibility and applicable law and are not available in all jurisdictions. This communication is not directed at, and the services described are not offered to, residents of the European Union or European Economic Area.