Qualified Custodian
A regulated firm, such as a bank or broker-dealer, that certain professional managers are required to use for holding client assets.
United States investment advisers are generally required to place client funds and securities with a qualified custodian, which must keep assets segregated, send account statements, and submit to periodic verification. Applying this to digital assets raises two questions: whether a given crypto custodian falls within the definition, and what possession or control means for an asset that is controlled by a private key rather than a book entry. In practice, state-chartered trust companies and bank subsidiaries have taken on the role, layering multi-signature or threshold key management, insurance policies with defined limits, and audited operating controls. Investors meet the term in fund documents, adviser disclosures, and due-diligence questionnaires.
Na prática
A digital-asset product's prospectus names the custodian, describes whether keys are held offline, and states the scope and limits of any insurance the custodian carries.
O equívoco comum
That qualified custodian means assets are insured against loss or hacking, when the label concerns legal status, segregation, and examination rather than any guarantee of reimbursement.