Institutional Custody evaluated across who legally holds the assets, what survives the custodian failing, insurance actual scope, and pricing you can actually see.
Gemini Custody
#1 of 9 · published ranking
Gemini Custody
80ChainChoice Score
4199
Cost
Not priced· Only 1 of 9 publish a comparable price
Joint #1 · ordered by unrounded weighted total (44.77 against 44.73)
No provider can pay for a position in this table. The code that computes this order cannot read which links earn us a commission, and every build proves it. Every score below rebuilds from the published criteria.Ranking 2026.08 · 4 criteria · 9 products · same inputs, same order
Personal comparison
Institutional Custody ranked comparison
Only 1 of 9 providers publish a comparable price; ranking still uses verified product evidence.
RankProviderBest fitScore
1
Gemini CustodyGemini CustodyGemini Trust Company, LLC — an original...Top ranked
Pre sales price visibility — 9/10Trade-off: The insurance is thinner than the $125M headline reads: the basis (aggregate vs per-c...
Ranked on 4 published criteria weighted 35/30/20/15, which set goal alignment — 30 of the 86 points. The rest: regional access 20, evidence depth 18, ease of use 10, institutional trust 8. Profile match is shown in breakdowns but carries no weight.
Audit
Infrastructure
Methodology
2026.09.15
published 2026-09-16
Providers tracked
980+
across 119 categories
Last verified
2026-08-18
newest dated pricing or sentiment read
Named on the roster
2 people
managing directors · 6 automated processes
Decision guide
What matters most before choosing in this category
Weighted on the custody legal entity and its licence, entity-matched on a public register (35), the insolvency survival mechanism as written in the terms (30), insurance as written — limit basis, exclusions, retentions (20), and pre-sales price visibility (15). The findings are the page: six of nine score 3 or below on insurance once the policy language is read instead of the headline number, and seven of nine will not state a price before the sales call. The tech-versus-custodian split is enforced — a software vendor that never holds assets is scored as what it is. Assets under custody are shown as facts and scored nowhere.
What matters most before choosing in this category
Weighted on the custody legal entity and its licence, entity-matched on a public register (35), the insolvency survival mechanism as written in the terms (30), insurance as written — limit basis, exclusions, retentions (20), and pre-sales price visibility (15). The findings are the page: six of nine score 3 or below on insurance once the policy language is read instead of the headline number, and seven of nine will not state a price before the sales call. The tech-versus-custodian split is enforced — a software vendor that never holds assets is scored as what it is. Assets under custody are shown as facts and scored nowhere.
Whose charter actually holds the assets, and can you find it on the register?
If the custodian fails, does the structure make the assets yours — in the terms, not the blog?
What does the insurance cover as written — aggregate or per-client, and with what exclusions?
Current editor lead
Expert review and scoring weights
Gemini Custody
Gemini CustodyData checked Aug 2026
Gemini Trust Company, LLC — an original 2015 NYDFS limited-purpose trust — with the pool's only true self-serve CUSTODY rate card (0.40% annualized, $30/month/asset minimum) and an insurance stack whose hot-wallet layer is partly self-insured through an affiliated Bermuda captive.
Gemini Trust Company, LLC — an original 2015 NYDFS limited-purpose trust — with the pool's only true self-serve CUSTODY rate card (0.40% annualized, $30/month/asset minimum) and an insurance stack whose hot-wallet layer is partly self-insured through an affiliated Bermuda captive. Strongest on can i find out what this costs before i'm inside their sales process? (9/10): A genuine self-serve rate card for the CUSTODY product itself — the only one in the pool (Fireblocks' card prices its software platform): 'Gemini Custody™ Fee Schedule June 24, 2022... Weakest on is the insurance number mine, and does it cover the wallet setup i'll actually run? (6/10): The headline, first-party: 'As of March 1, 2024, Gemini maintains $125M in digital asset insurance for certain types of losses, in addition to the capital reserves required of Gemini Trust Company, LLC as a New York limited purpose trust company and fiduciary under New York Banking Law. Published price: 'Custody Fee 0.4% or $30 per month per asset, whichever is higher starting September 1st 2022' — 'Customers will incur the % annualized Custody Fee or minimum monthly fee of $30 per asset type, whichever is higher.' — 'Minimum Balance None' ('No minimum…
Best forPre sales price visibility — 9/10
Main tradeoffThe insurance is thinner than the $125M headline reads: the basis (aggregate vs per-client) and retentions are published nowhere, the $100M cold-storage line covers a $15.9B platform (~0.8%) and is HALF the $200M Gemini advertised in 2020, and the hot-wallet crime layer is partly self-insured through Nakamoto, Ltd. — an affiliated Bermuda captive whose capital is, ultimately, group capital, exactly the correlated-failure arrangement a custody buyer is trying to insure against.
Verify before signup'Custody Fee 0.4% or $30 per month per asset, whichever is higher starting September 1st 2022' — 'Customers will incur the % annualized Custody Fee or minimum monthly fee of $30 per asset type, whichever is higher.' — 'Minimum Balance None' ('No minimum balance required as long as the minimum monthly charge is paid. Minimum fee represents Custody balance of roughly $100,000 assuming 0.40% annualized custodial service fee.') — 'Setup Fee Waived' — 'Administrative Withdrawal Fee $125' ('Withdrawal fees are calculated using the Prevailing Market Price (as defined in our User Agreement).')
Methodology
How this category is reviewed
Reviewed on which legal entity actually takes my assets — and does its licence on the register say it may?, if they fail, are the assets still mine — or am i queueing as an unsecured creditor?, is the insurance number mine, and does it cover the wallet setup i'll actually run?, and can i find out what this costs before i'm inside their sales process?.
The order on this page is the published ranking for this category. Every criterion, weight and source behind it is on the methodology page.
Frequently asked
Questions people ask before choosing institutional custody
What is the safest custodian?
Safety here comes from the entity and the structure, not the technology. A national trust bank with fiduciary powers, a state trust company and an unregulated software platform are three different answers to 'who holds this', and only the documentation written before a failure decides what you recover.
Does a big insurance number mean I am covered?
Rarely as read. Every published limit in this category is AGGREGATE across the custodian's entire client book, not per client, so a headline figure tells you nothing about your own recovery. What matters is the policy schedule: the limit basis, the self-retention, and whether cold storage is covered or only hot wallets.
Is MPC or cold storage safer?
They fail differently, which is why the technology is shown rather than ranked. MPC removes the single key without removing the operator; cold storage removes the online surface without removing the human process. The scored question is who is legally accountable when either fails.
Not financial advice · For informational purposes only · Always do your own research
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