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【U.S.SEC reportedly plans to relax crypto asset custody rules, allowing investment advisers to self-custody Bitcoin under certain conditions】

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has proposed a draft of new digital asset custody rules that would allow investment advisers and regulated funds to custody Bitcoin and other crypto assets under certain conditions, while providing a formal regulatory pathway for state-chartered trust companies to become qualified crypto asset custodians. Under the proposal, when no qualified custodian is willing to provide services for a particular digital asset, an investment adviser could self-custody client assets if it meets strict conditions, including written documentation that a custodian is unavailable, reassessment every month, implementation of multi-person authorization for transfers, segregation of client wallet addresses, and independent audits. 3 Chairman Paul Atkins said that the current custody rules were primarily designed for traditional financial assets and can no longer accommodate the development of the digital asset market. The report noted that Bitcoin could become one of the main beneficiaries of the proposal because its institutional custody infrastructure is relatively mature. However, the relevant rules remain at the proposal stage and have not yet taken effect.SEC The chairman Paul Atkins stated that the current custody rules were primarily designed for traditional financial assets and can no longer accommodate the development of the digital asset market. The report noted that Bitcoin could become one of the main beneficiaries of the proposal because its institutional custody infrastructure is relatively mature. However, the relevant rules remain at the proposal stage and have not yet taken effect.