Chainlink CustodySync: Connecting Institutional Capital to DeFi

Introducing Chainlink CustodySync, a new solution that lets qualified custodians give their institutional clients access to DeFi lending markets, all while assets remain securely in custody.

With @Anchorage as the official launch partner, together we’re establishing a new standard for institutional DeFi.

CustodySync keeps custody and lending systems in sync across the full lifecycle of a loan:

→ For custodians: faster time to market and lower operational overhead, with custodian-managed controls
→ For lending markets: independent, verifiable data and a consistent risk framework
→ For institutions: passive capital becomes productive capital

More than $80 billion sits in DeFi lending markets. Meanwhile, the roughly $700 billion in digital assets under custody is less than 0.5% of all $250 trillion in traditional assets under custody. The opportunity to connect traditional institutional capital to onchain finance remains vast.

Large institutions have lacked a secure way of accessing these markets. Regulations require many of them to keep their digital assets with a qualified custodian, a firm that meets specific requirements for holding assets on behalf of clients, and custody systems were never built for DeFi. Even when custody and lending systems are connected, inconsistent loan valuations can trigger premature liquidation or delayed liquidations, exposing borrowers and lenders to significant financial risk.