Bitget Builds Institutional Trading Around Custody and Settlement
Bitget is targeting institutional clients with multiple custody models and off-exchange settlement through firms like Copper and Fireblocks, in line with growing demand for better infrastructure.
Key Takeaways
- Bitget is putting more focus on institutional services, with greater attention to custody, risk management, and infrastructure for professional investors.
- Off-exchange settlement keeps assets with a third party and settles profits and losses periodically between the custodian and the exchange.
- For European firms, the market is increasingly being set up like traditional financial infrastructure, where exchanges compete on custody and settlement networks.
Bitget is putting its institutional services front and center as more professional investors want to add crypto, but with better infrastructure, custody, and risk management. According to a survey by Coinbase and EY-Parthenon of 351 firms, nearly half cite better infrastructure as a reason to take on more crypto exposure in 2026.
From Listings to Infrastructure
That is shifting the core of the market. It is no longer just about what a crypto exchange lists, but mainly about how capital moves in and out. Bitget says institutional business is now the main focus of the company’s ninth year.
To do that, an exchange has to offer more than just trading. Asset managers, market makers, and other institutional investors each have different needs. That is why Bitget is choosing multiple custody models instead of one fixed setup.
The exchange ties that approach to its Universal Exchange strategy, which already includes crypto and tokenized assets. With that, the company is trying to serve different kinds of professional clients in the same market without forcing them to completely abandon their existing setup.
How Off-Exchange Settlement Works
A key part of that is off-exchange settlement. In this setup, assets stay with a third party, such as Copper or Fireblocks, while part of those assets is locked up and used as trading credit at the exchange. Profits and losses are then settled at fixed times between the custodian and the exchange.
That setup is especially appealing to firms that do not want to keep moving collateral back and forth between venues. It can reduce operational burden and limit direct exposure to an exchange. At the same time, risk does not disappear entirely, because the custodian also becomes a counterparty and, between settlement moments, a claim is still a claim.
Interest from hedge funds shows why this matters. According to the 2025 AIMA and PwC Global Crypto Hedge Fund Report, 55% of traditional hedge funds held digital assets in 2025, up from 47% a year earlier. Most funds still keep their allocation below 2%, but 71% want to expand.
Why This Matters for Europe
For European crypto investors, this matters because the market is looking more and more like traditional financial infrastructure, with separate roles for trading, custody, and settlement. That can be especially important for firms that operate under strict rules or already work with regulated custodians. Bitget names Sygnum, Komainu, Copper ClearLoop, Cactus Custody Oasis, Fireblocks Off Exchange, OSL MirrorEX, and Bitfire PrimeMirror as parts of that broader setup.
The trend also shows that exchanges are no longer competing only on liquidity, but also on the quality of their custody and settlement network. In a market where multiple custodians and settlement routes exist side by side, choice itself becomes a differentiator, but also an extra layer to manage.
24/7 settlement for institutional clients also shows how exchanges are expanding their infrastructure to let capital move faster and with less friction.
