AnchorWatch has officially launched a Bitcoin-only custody service, entering the institutional custody market with a stated insurance coverage capacity of $370 million. The company positions the offering as one of the more heavily insured Bitcoin custody solutions available to holders and institutions seeking verifiable protection against loss.
According to the announcement, AnchorWatch Trust Company operates as a Nevada-chartered qualified custodian. The firm's model is built around Bitcoin-native custody and multisignature wallet architecture, which distributes signing authority so that no single point of failure can result in total loss of funds.
The launch includes two key-control structures. In one arrangement, AnchorWatch controls the keys required for custody while clients can retain additional signing authority. In a second structure, key control is distributed among AnchorWatch, BitGo, and CoinCorner. The company says eligible customers can apply for insurance backed by Lloyd’s of London syndicates, with a possible limit of up to $370 million per client, although coverage depends on underwriting approval and the terms of an individual policy.
AnchorWatch is also positioning fixed-dollar custody charges, with a monthly ceiling of $10,000, against percentage-based pricing common across institutional asset services. Insurance costs are separate. The service is aimed at professional trustees, company treasuries, and advisers who want regulated custody controls without concentrating every signing decision in a single institution.
The launch comes amid intensifying competition in the custody segment. Deutsche Bank has reportedly been preparing a crypto custody launch, while Sparkassen has launched Bitcoin trading services for regulated financial entities responding to retail and institutional demand. The broader custody market has also seen significant capital movements, including large Bitcoin transfers between custodians and exchanges.
For Bitcoin holders, custody safeguards are especially important because Bitcoin's settlement finality makes transactions irreversible once confirmed on-chain. A holder who loses access to a private key, or whose custodian suffers a breach, has no recourse at the protocol level. AnchorWatch's entry with a $370 million insurance capacity is a direct response to the gap between Bitcoin's irreversibility and the risk management expectations of institutional and high-net-worth holders.
