BNY, the world’s largest custodian bank overseeing $59.4 trillion in assets, has announced a strategic collaboration with Finstreet Limited and ADI Foundation to build regulated, institutional-grade digital asset custody infrastructure anchored in the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) — marking the first time a US global systemically important bank has brought crypto custody to the UAE.
The announcement, made on May 7 via BNY’s official newsroom, positions Abu Dhabi as the geographic anchor for an initiative that begins with Bitcoin and Ethereum custody before expanding into stablecoins, tokenized real-world assets, and other regulated digital instruments. All efforts remain subject to definitive agreements and relevant regulatory approvals, per the official release.
Three Institutions, Three Distinct Roles
The architecture of the collaboration reflects three distinct layers of infrastructure, each contributed by a different partner. BNY brings its globally recognized custody backbone — the institution has offered digital asset custody to a select group of US clients since 2022, and obtained a Category 4 license in ADGM ahead of this expansion.
Finstreet Limited, a subsidiary of International Holding Company (IHC) through Sirius International Holding and based within ADGM, contributes its digital market ecosystem. Its licensed subsidiaries cover multilateral trading, custody and depository services, and investment advisory — giving the partnership a direct plug into Abu Dhabi’s institutional capital markets infrastructure.
ADI Foundation provides what it describes as sovereign-grade blockchain infrastructure through ADI Chain, a Layer 2 blockchain also founded under the IHC umbrella. Ajay Bhatia, Principal Council Member at ADI Foundation, noted in the release that ADI Chain is designed to unlock new opportunities in custody, trade finance, and lending from Abu Dhabi to the world.
Abu Dhabi’s Crypto Institutional Bet
The choice of ADGM as the anchor jurisdiction is deliberate. While Dubai’s VARA framework has attracted retail exchanges and Web3 startups, ADGM has built its reputation on institutional-grade licensing under English common law — a framework that has drawn Galaxy Digital, Circle, and Tether’s USDt to the market in recent months, per CryptoTimes.
IHC separately announced the launch of DDSC, a dirham-backed stablecoin fully regulated by the Central Bank of the UAE, which is currently in early-stage government and institutional adoption, according to the FX News Group. That context matters: BNY is entering a market that is actively building its own sovereign-grade digital currency infrastructure, not merely accommodating crypto adoption from the outside.
Hani Kablawi, Executive Vice Chair at BNY, characterized the move in the official release as a commitment to building financial infrastructure for the future — noting that the UAE is entering a new phase marked by deeper markets, greater digital sophistication, and stronger global connectivity.
This development marks a critical juncture for the nascent sector’s institutional custody landscape. As the world’s largest custodian plants its flag in Abu Dhabi, the signal to other global financial institutions considering Middle East expansion is clear: regulated digital asset infrastructure in the Gulf is no longer a future consideration — it is being built now.
Cover image from Grok, BTCUSD chart from Tradingview
