As we enter the second half of 2025, the digital asset industry is experiencing a clear shift: from experimentation to implementation. Infrastructure once considered niche, such as programmable payment platforms, and Wallet-as-a-Service (WaaS) solutions, is now central to the financial architecture being built around digital assets.

This transformation is driven by rising institutional demand for secure, scalable, and compliant systems. 

In the first half of 2025, Cobo focused not only on advancing our own digital asset custody platform, but also on contributing to the larger conversations shaping how institutions engage with this evolving ecosystem.

Repositioning Bitcoin: From Custody to Utility

Bitcoin’s role in the digital asset ecosystem is expanding rapidly. Institutions are exploring ways to use BTC beyond passive storage, integrating it into staking, payments, and cross-chain DeFi ecosystems. The growing interest in productive BTC use cases is driving demand for secure yet flexible wallet infrastructure.

• BTC Staking with Core DAO
  Our MPC wallet infrastructure enabled institutions to participate in dual staking programs while maintaining full custody of their BTC.

• Berachain Integration
  We introduced secure APIs that connect institutional BTC holdings with Berachain’s Proof-of-Liquidity model, facilitating capital-efficient DeFi access.

• Lightning Payment Rail Development
  In partnership with Neutron, Cobo is contributing to real-time, programmable BTC payments infrastructure across Asia, where demand for cross-border stablecoin settlement is rising.

Extending the Cobo Portal: WaaS for Institutional Strategy

Institutional digital asset management is becoming more complex and multi-chain. Our enhancements to the Cobo Portal reflect growing demand for wallet as a service offerings that unify crypto custody, staking, compliance controls, and cross-chain token management in one secure platform.

• ETH Staking with stakefish
  Integrated staking tools now allow institutions to earn execution-layer rewards with just a few clicks.

• Cross-Chain Token Bridge
  Support for USDT, WBTC, and other assets across Ethereum, Tron, Solana, and BNB Chain simplifies crypto treasury management across networks.

• Safe{Wallet} Co-Signer Module
  A new layer of verification helps institutions implement stronger transaction governance and independent approval workflows using smart contract wallets.

Institutional Collaborations for Real-World Applications

As blockchain infrastructure matures, adoption is increasingly driven by applied use cases like stablecoin payments, tokenized real-world assets (RWAs), and secure Web3 application development. Cobo’s recent partnerships align with these themes.

• Morph & Plume

  Supporting Web3 projects and RWA tokenization platforms 

• Circle Alliance Program 

  We’re honored to be recognized as a key partner in Circle's Alliance Program, collaborating to advance stablecoin adoption across Asia. 

• TruBit
  Facilitating stablecoin payment adoption in Latin America by enabling PSPs to access secure crypto custody solutions.

• Shift Markets & CoinCover
  Improving operational and wallet-level security for digital asset exchanges seeking to scale securely during periods of market volatility.

Security and Compliance: Investing in Resilience

With institutional flows increasing and the regulatory landscape evolving, crypto custody providers must meet higher expectations around risk management, transaction policy enforcement, and system resilience.

• Cyberport Blockchain Security Summit 2025

  Following the industry-shaking Bybit breach in February, we participated in cross-sector discussions with regulators and incident response experts on best practices for collaborative defense.

• Ant Group Digital Technologies Recognition

  Cobo was recognized as a Rising Star Partner for its secure, scalable infrastructure, reflecting our alignment with high compliance and performance standards.

Regulatory Engagement and Industry Dialogue

As the global landscape around institutional crypto custody and tokenization continues to evolve, Cobo has remained actively involved in conversations shaping these emerging standards.

• Money20/20 Asia
  Our COO Lily Z. King joined leaders from Ripple and the Bank of Thailand to discuss the future of stablecoin payments and financial interoperability in the APAC region.

• Point Zero Forum
  We contributed to global discussions on the regulatory direction of crypto custody services and wallet standardization.

• iFX EXPO
  Our Head of Sales Lucas Yang spoke about the increasing role of programmable wallets in streamlining treasury workflows and enhancing compliance in multi-asset environments.

Stablecoins and RWAs: Infrastructure for What Comes Next

Financial activity is moving on-chain. Stablecoins and tokenized RWAs are emerging not as speculative trends, but as long-term catalysts for how institutions interact with programmable assets and new markets.

• Stablecoin AdoptionAs demand grows for cross-border payments and B2B settlements, wallet as a service infrastructure becomes critical for PSPs and corporates seeking low-latency, low-cost rails with robust compliance features.

• RWA TokenizationThe growing issuance of tokenized U.S. Treasuries, real estate, and credit products requires dependable custody, multi-chain compatibility, and clear transaction policies. Our work with partners reflects this need for integrated, scalable solutions.

Looking Ahead: Institutional Priorities for H2 2025

As institutions continue to increase exposure to digital assets, the need for secure, policy-driven, and integration-ready custody frameworks will only grow. At Cobo, we remain focused on:

• Supporting digital asset custody across a growing range of asset types and geographies

• Advancing WaaS capabilities that reduce operational complexity for exchanges and PSPs

• Engaging with regulatory and technical communities to ensure interoperability and resilience

We thank our partners and clients for joining us in this work. Together, we’re building the infrastructure that will define the next chapter of digital finance.