Anchorage (company)

Anchorage (company)
Name	Anchorage
Type	Private
Industry	Financial services
Founded	2017
Founders	* Diogo Mónica * Nathan McCauley
Headquarters	San Francisco, California, United States
Key people	* Diogo Mónica (Co‑founder, President) * Nathan McCauley (Co‑founder, CEO)
Products	Custody, staking, trading, governance, APIs

Anchorage (company) is a United States–based digital asset custodian and financial services firm founded in 2017 by Diogo Mónica and Nathan McCauley. The company provides custody, staking, trading, governance, and infrastructure services aimed at institutional clients including venture capital, hedge fund, pension fund, family office, sovereign wealth fund, and broker‑dealer customers. Anchorage positions itself at the intersection of cryptocurrency infrastructure, financial regulation in the United States, and enterprise security engineering.

History

Anchorage was launched in 2017 following the founding team's prior work at Docker, Inc. and Square, Inc.. Early activity included participation in Y Combinator cohorts and attracting investment from prominent venture capital firms and strategic investors tied to the Silicon Valley startup ecosystem. In 2019 Anchorage received attention after securing a federal banking charter application trajectory with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and engaging with regulators including the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and state banking departments such as the New York State Department of Financial Services. Anchorage's milestones include product launches for institutional custody, partnerships with Coinbase, integrations with Ethereum and Bitcoin infrastructure, and expansions into staking services for networks like Solana, Polkadot, and Tezos.

Products and Services

Anchorage offers a suite of institutional products: qualified custody for Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Litecoin, and numerous ERC‑20 tokens; delegated staking services for proof‑of‑stake networks; trading and prime brokerage services; governance and voting tools for blockchain networks; and developer‑oriented APIs and treasury solutions. Enterprise clients use Anchorage for secure custody in combination with trading access, compliance reporting compatible with FinCEN expectations, and integrations with custody wallet solutions offered by traditional banking partners. Anchorage's custody claims include multi‑party computation alternatives to hardware wallets and institutional custody models used by custodial banks and trust company frameworks.

Technology and Security

Anchorage emphasizes cryptographic key management, employing techniques such as multi‑party computation, hardware security modules like YubiKey‑compatible devices, and threshold signature schemes integrated with blockchain node operations. The firm's stack incorporates secure enclave technologies from vendors such as Intel and relies on continuous validation against standards like SOC 2 audits and ISO/IEC 27001 benchmarking. Anchorage publishes security whitepapers referencing protocols related to Elliptic curve cryptography and designs that mitigate risks exemplified in incidents like the Mt. Gox collapse and high‑profile exchange breaches such as Coincheck hack. Operational security teams coordinate with incident response entities similar to CERT organizations and liaise with law enforcement and financial regulators during potential compromises.

Regulatory Compliance and Licensing

Anchorage pursued and obtained regulatory authorizations including a federally chartered trust bank license in the United States, engaging with entities such as the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and state banking regulators. The company operates under compliance regimes addressing Bank Secrecy Act obligations, anti‑money laundering standards enforced by FinCEN, and securities law considerations involving the Securities Act of 1933 and the jurisdictional reach of the SEC over tokenized assets. Anchorage has worked with compliance counsel experienced with New York Department of Financial Services licensing, Money Transmitter License frameworks across U.S. states, and cross‑border licensing regimes to serve institutional clients in markets regulated by authorities like the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the Financial Conduct Authority.

Funding and Ownership

Anchorage's capital raises include seed and later rounds featuring investors from the venture capital and private equity communities. Notable backers and participants in funding rounds have included firms associated with Andreessen Horowitz, Kleiner Perkins, Goldman Sachs, and strategic investors from the cryptocurrency ecosystem. Anchorage also raised capital through institutional rounds led by global asset managers and technology investors interested in digital asset infrastructure. Ownership remains concentrated among founders, early employees, and venture investors, with governance influenced by board members drawn from fintech and traditional banking sectors.

Controversies and Legal Issues

Anchorage has faced scrutiny typical of digital asset custodians concerning regulatory interpretations by the Securities and Exchange Commission and enforcement actions related to token classifications and custody practices. The company engaged in public policy dialogues with regulators over chartering and custody standards, paralleling debates seen in cases involving Coinbase Global, Inc. and other major exchanges. Legal controversies have touched on questions of fiduciary duty, compliance with Bank Secrecy Act rules, and cooperation with law enforcement in seizure or subpoena scenarios paralleling precedent set in cases such as those involving Silk Road‑era asset forfeitures. Anchorage has defended its technology and compliance posture in public statements and regulatory filings while navigating the evolving landscape of digital asset litigation and enforcement.

Category:Financial services companies of the United States Category:Cryptocurrency companies Category:Companies established in 2017