Custody Startup Curv Follows Crypto Demand Into Asia With New Hong Kong Office

Institutional custody startup Curv has expanded into Asia with an office in Hong Kong and a partnership with Japan-based Crypto Garage, the companies announced Friday.

Curv, is aiming to help Asian exchanges self-custody various cryptocurrencies with its multi-party computation (MPC) technology, said CEO Itay Malinger. Exchanges in the region self-custody more often than in the U.S. and Europe, and Asia has more exchanges per capita than other parts of the world, he added.

As investment in the crypto industry increasingly moves from Europe and the Americas to Asia, Curv is following the strong demand that has emerged in the region.

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Crypto Garage is building its own atomic settlement platform, called SETTLENET, on top of bitcoin startup Blockstream’s privacy-enhancing Liquid Network. The atomic settlement platform, which provides instant settlement for smart contracts that swap one crypto asset for another, will launch in June and is non-custodial.

“We thought the MPC approach where the private key is not stored in one place and is split up was very appealing to use from a security standpoint,” said Crypto Garage’s Justin Dhingra.

The settlement platform will ensure that the transfer of assets happens without having to find a third-party custodian. Crypto Garage is driving settlements over the Liquid Network, Malinger said.

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“Crypto Garage is very significant in the Japanese market,” said Malinger. Curv also has another strategic investor in Japan, signaling the firm’s growing interest in Asian markets.