Our take
Copper
Copper provides institutional-grade digital asset custody designed specifically for professional market participants, asset managers, and algorithmic trading operations. The central architectural advantage rests on ClearLoop, a proprietary network framework that allows institutional clients to trade actively across connected crypto derivatives and spot venues while holding underlying assets outside vulnerable exchange balances. By decoupling execution venues from asset storage, the service addresses counterparty risk without sacrificing execution speed. Security architecture relies on multi-party computation threshold cryptography rather than traditional hardware storage alone, establishing rigorous multi-signature approvals across segregated operational roles. While the infrastructure offers institutional capabilities, onboarding criteria remain strict, pricing is negotiated under commercial contracts, and retail investors cannot access the platform directly. For qualifying corporate treasuries and trading desks, Copper functions as an enterprise custodian with settlement utility.
Hex Trust
Hex Trust provides a comprehensive custodial infrastructure designed strictly for institutional market participants, financial institutions, and corporate entities. Founded in 2018, the company operates across key global financial hubs including Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, and Europe, maintaining relevant regulatory trust and provider registrations. Its core platform, Hex Safe, integrates hardware security modules with policy based multi-party signoffs, offering institutional balance sheets resilient asset protection.
While retail traders cannot open individual accounts, enterprises benefit from deep token coverage, validator staking integration, and compliant off-exchange settlement pathways. Institutional buyers must navigate custom commercial contracts, bespoke tiering, and intensive compliance onboarding. For enterprises seeking regulated custody with operational flexibility across decentralized and centralized markets, Hex Trust stands out as a serious infrastructure provider.