Anchorage Digital Launches Tokenized Deposit Infrastructure for Banks, Delivering 24/7 Settlement Without Replacing Core Systems

Today, Anchorage Digital announces the availability of its Tokenized Deposits infrastructure, a purpose-built solution enabling banks to unlock next-generation payment and settlement capabilities without the cost, complexity, or risk of a core banking overhaul.

Tokenized Deposits represent one of the most significant opportunities in modern banking: the ability to offer 24/7, real-time settlement capabilities to clients and counterparties alike, while deepening the trust, security, and regulatory confidence that banks have spent decades earning.

The problem: banks want to modernize

Today's banks face a profound infrastructure dilemma. They are trusted stewards of client capital, regulated to the highest standards, and now expected to deliver the kind of always-on, real-time experience that clients have come to expect in every corner of their digital lives.

And that demand is real. Institutions and clients increasingly expect 24/7 availability and instantaneous settlement, not as a luxury, but as a baseline. Traditional core migrations are prohibitively expensive, and routinely fail. The so-called "rip and replace" approach carries extreme operational risk: any downtime freezes client funds, and projects can span three to seven years, locking engineering resources with uncertain outcomes. The result is a growing gap between what banks can offer and what their clients demand.

The solution: tokenized deposits as a parallel layer

Anchorage Digital's Tokenized Deposits infrastructure takes a fundamentally different approach. Tokenized Deposits use blockchain as a parallel ledger, upgrading capabilities without replacing what works. Rather than tearing out existing infrastructure, the platform runs next to core banking systems, creating a new database using blockchain while ensuring that all Blockchain Deposit Account (BDA) balances are held at the Tokenized Deposit Demand Deposit Account (DDA) to guarantee reporting reconciliation.

The results speak for themselves: zero client Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is stored outside the bank, and banks can go live in weeks, not years.

There are four reasons banks are acting now:

• Always-On Settlement: 24/7/365 instantaneous settlement without the constraints of banking hours or correspondent intermediaries.
• Programmable Settlements: Smart contracts enable automated, rules-based cash movements and complex multi-party financial workflows.
• Global Interoperability: Banks can easily customize the Anchorage Digital platform to map to their own preferences and organizational needs.
• Regulatory Clarity: Deposits are well understood by banks, regulators, and clients — with established accounting and compliance frameworks.

Built on best-in-class security 

Security is not an afterthought at Anchorage Digital; it is the foundation. On January 13, 2021, the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) granted Anchorage Digital Bank N.A., a national bank charter, making it the first federally chartered crypto bank in the United States. It was the result of hundreds of thousands of hours of regulatory specialization, tens of millions of dollars in compliance infrastructure, and a fundamental belief that crypto and federal oversight don't have to be adversaries.

The Anchorage Digital Tokenized Deposit offering includes smart contract infrastructure, wallet management and key custody APIs, mint/burn API endpoints, and blockchain analytics and monitoring. The full stack is enterprise-grade, with institutional security built in from the ground up.

"Tokenized deposits aren't about replacing the trust banks have built, they're about enhancing it. Banks have spent decades earning the confidence of their clients and their regulators. What we're offering is the infrastructure to make that trust work harder: faster, smarter, and around the clock. As the first federally chartered crypto bank in the United States, Anchorage Digital Bank is uniquely positioned to help banks move forward without having to start over." — Nathan McCauley, Co-Founder and CEO, Anchorage Digital

With a track record of securing tens of billions in assets under custody for the world's leading institutions, Anchorage Digital Bank N.A. provides proven security and operational excellence.

For banks evaluating tokenized deposit partners, this distinction matters enormously. As a federally chartered bank, Anchorage Digital Bank operates under a single, robust regulatory framework overseen by the OCC, eliminating the complexities of navigating a patchwork of state-by-state regulations and ensuring all activity adheres to existing and future federal requirements.

A defined path to go-live

By partnering with Anchorage Digital on its Tokenized Deposit offering, the bank focuses on what it does best: the client relationship, the front-end experience, the commercialization. Anchorage Digital handles the full blockchain and smart contract infrastructure underneath.

There are real decisions to make together: blockchain architecture, business model, client eligibility, jurisdiction and expansion strategy, and Anchorage Digital works through each one consultatively, as a true partner.

Because the goal was never to sell a product. It's to change what banking feels like.

To speak with our Tokenized Deposits team, contact: stablecoins@anchoragedigital.com or get in touch.