Global Enterprise Financial Editorial Team · 2026-08-25
Digital asset custody isn't a single arrangement — it ranges from fully self-custodied (you alone control the signing keys) to fully third-party custodied (a regulated custodian controls them on your behalf), with hybrid and multi-party models in between. Which model applies changes who can move the assets and who bears operational responsibility for keeping them safe.
A regulated custodian is responsible for the infrastructure, key management and security controls that keep custodied assets safe, along with the regulatory obligations that come with holding customer assets — segregation, audit and reporting requirements vary by jurisdiction and licence type.
In a self-custody model, transactions are authorised using keys or a passkey tied to your own device rather than by a third party. This removes reliance on a custodian but shifts responsibility for backup, recovery and device security entirely onto the holder — there's typically no central account-recovery process if access is lost.
For any product involving digital assets, it's worth confirming plainly which custody model applies, who is actually named as responsible if something goes wrong, what recovery options exist (if any), and whether the entity involved is authorised to provide custody services in the relevant jurisdiction.
GEF One identifies the applicable custody model for each digital-asset product it makes accessible — some GEF One wallets are self-custodied and passkey-signed, while other products may involve a third-party custodian — rather than defaulting to one model across the board. See What Is a Non-Custodial Crypto Wallet for more on how GEF One's own passkey wallets work.