• Boerse Stuttgart Digital has received the final license as a cryptocurrency custodian from BaFin.
• This allows institutional investors to trade bitcoin on the platform and act as a custodian.
• Fidelity, Mercado Libre, and other major international firms have entered into the bitcoin custodial and trading industry recently.

Boerse Stuttgart Digital Receives License from BaFin

Boerse Stuttgart Digital, a subsidiary of the second largest stock exchange in Germany, has received its final license from Germany’s financial regulator, BaFin. This license allows the exchange to provide institutional investors with the ability to trade bitcoin on their platform, as well as act as a custodian for these investments.

Blocknox Custody Platform

The exchange has been offering custody services through its Blocknox platform since January 2020 under a provisional license. With this new licensing, it joins several major international firms who are officially entering into the bitcoin custodial and trading industry.

Fidelity & Mercado Libre

Fidelity opened their bitcoin trading platform to the public this month, allowing institutional investors the option to hold their bitcoin with them. Latin America’s largest e-commerce platform by market value, Mercado Libre also introduced bitcoin trading to their Chilean users which was already available in Brazil.

Risks Associated with Third-Party Custody

It should be noted that all of these platforms bear risks associated with third-party custody of your bitcoin. The safest way to ensure your bitcoin is always accessible and always available is through self-custody using a dedicated wallet service like Bitcoin Core or Electrum Wallet.

Bitcoin Adoption Potential

Platforms like Boerse Stuttgart Digital and Fidelity have made it easier for investors to access Bitcoin trading services but do not necessarily further enable its true adoption potential.