Anchorage Digital launches tokenized deposit platform

Anchorage Digital, a federally chartered digital asset bank, has launched a new platform that allows traditional financial institutions to issue and manage tokenized deposits on blockchain networks. The infrastructure enables banks to offer near-instant, 24/7 settlement capabilities while keeping customer funds within their existing deposit accounts and core banking systems.

The platform creates blockchain-based representations of customer deposits, with Anchorage providing the underlying technology, including wallet management and smart contract infrastructure. The actual funds remain in the banks' traditional accounts, allowing institutions to maintain custody and customer relationships without undergoing costly and lengthy core system replacements. Anchorage CEO Nathan McCauley stated that many banks the company is beginning to work with are already evaluating how to implement tokenized deposits.

The launch addresses a key bottleneck in the current financial system, where payments and settlements often depend on banking hours and batch processing. It also enters a broader industry debate over which instrument will dominate money movement on blockchain rails: privately issued...