Copper expands into US with regulated crypto custody and trading services

Digital asset infrastructure provider Copper has established a regulated US presence after Copper Markets (US) Inc. became an SEC-registered broker-dealer and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, opening a route for the company to provide institutional custody and trading services in the country. Summary Copper Markets (US) has become an SEC registered broker dealer and FINRA member. The US arm will offer qualified custody, staking, financing and OTC services to institutional clients. Clients will also gain access to Copper’s ClearLoop Network for managing crypto and tokenized assets as collateral. Copper said the approval establishes its US presence as a qualified custodian. According to Copper’s Wednesday announcement, its US subsidiary has been accepted as a FINRA member, giving the company a regulated entity through which it can bring its custody, collateral and trading infrastructure to institutional clients in the United States. FINRA records also identify personnel registered with Copper Markets (US), including staff working across finance, compliance, operations and revenue functions. The company said the approval allows its US business to operate as a broker-dealer while building its presence as a qualified custodian for institutional digital assets. Copper US arm gains regulated broker-dealer status Copper Markets (US) plans to provide qualified custody alongside staking, financing and over-the-counter services, according to the company. Institutional clients will also gain access to Copper’s ClearLoop Network, its infrastructure for managing collateral while assets remain in custody. Under the model, institutions can pledge crypto and tokenized assets as collateral between counterparties without relying on the conventional process of moving the assets to a trading venue before each transaction. Copper has built much of its institutional business around that separation of custody from trading activity. The US entity’s regulatory status gives Copper another route for offering the infrastructure within an established securities framework. Under US securities rules, broker-dealers that maintain customer securities and funds in customer accounts can serve as qualified custodians when the applicable regulatory requirements are met. Copper described its entry as establishing a US presence as a “Qualified Custodian,” putting custody at the center of the services being introduced through Copper Markets (US). The registration also arrives while US regulators are reviewing how existing broker-dealer requirements should apply as digital assets become more closely integrated with securities markets. In July, the SEC added crypto-related items covering broker-dealers, crypto assets and market structure to its 2026 rulemaking agenda, as previously covered by crypto.news. You might also like: Copper gold ratio repeats Bitcoin’s 2020 signal One of the planned SEC proposals concerns potential changes to broker-dealer financial responsibility rules for crypto activity. Another considers exemptions and safe harbors for certain offers and sales of crypto assets, while a separate proposal addresses trading of crypto assets on alternative trading systems and national securities exchanges.