Lawyer, Family Office
Sygnum is a Swiss-Singaporean banking group that in August 2019 became the world's first bank to receive a FINMA banking and securities dealer licence built around digital assets. For private wealth this means one simple thing: a crypto portfolio can sit not on an exchange or with an offshore custodian, but inside a Swiss bank — with asset segregation, bank-grade reporting and full regulatory supervision.
The group has long outgrown the experiment stage: around USD 5 billion in client assets, roughly 2,000 clients across 60+ countries (per public data), operational profitability in FY 2024 and unicorn status after a USD 58 million round in January 2025 led by Fulgur Ventures. The second hub is Singapore, with additional presence in Luxembourg and Abu Dhabi.
Licence and Supervision
Switzerland: banking and securities dealer licences from FINMA. Sygnum takes fiat deposits like any bank, so they fall under the Swiss deposit protection scheme esisuisse (up to CHF 100,000). Client crypto assets are held off the bank's balance sheet: segregated and, under Swiss law, excluded from the bankruptcy estate.
Singapore: Sygnum Singapore operates under MAS licences — Capital Markets Services and a regulated neobank licence (granted in October 2023). An important nuance: the Singapore entity is not a bank but a licensed payments and capital markets provider. On top of that — a Luxembourg registration (2022) and a Financial Services Permission from the FSRA in ADGM, Abu Dhabi (2023). With its January 2025 round, Sygnum announced EU expansion and a Hong Kong office.
Products
- Custody: institutional-grade, off-balance-sheet, fully segregated, no rehypothecation.
- Trading: spot and derivatives on digital assets; listings keep expanding — e.g. SUI custody and trading for institutions since August 2025.
- Staking: ETH, ADA, XTZ, ICP and other Proof-of-Stake networks; publicly reported yields of 4–10% per annum depending on the asset.
- Lombard loans: fiat liquidity in CHF, EUR, USD and SGD against 20+ tokens as collateral; staked SOL accepted since May 2025, so collateral keeps earning staking rewards. MultiSYG (with Debifi) is in the pipeline — a multi-signature setup where the borrower retains partial control over BTC collateral.
- Asset management: since February 2026, Sygnum Select — a discretionary mandate applying the Swiss private banking model to digital asset treasuries, launched with about USD 200 million under management (Swiss-domiciled clients first).
- B2B platform: 20+ Swiss banks plug Sygnum's regulated crypto services into their own offering — by the bank's own estimate, reaching a third of the Swiss population.
Who It Suits and Entry Thresholds
The target client is institutional: banks, external asset managers, funds — plus HNWI and qualified private investors. The bank publishes no minimum deposit; thresholds are agreed individually and depend on profile, jurisdiction and product set. Small retail tickets are not the segment — exchanges and neobanks serve that.
Onboarding and Compliance
Onboarding is fully digital and available 24/7. Both fiat and crypto origins are verified: on-chain history for crypto, classic Source of Funds / Source of Wealth for fiat. Non-residents are widely accepted (clients from 60+ countries), but the list of accepted jurisdictions is dynamic and confirmed at intake. Sanctions-sensitive profiles face the Swiss sanctions regime — the outcome depends on residency, source of capital and documentation quality.
Risks and Limitations
- Bank-level pricing: more expensive than exchanges and neobanks — the cost of the regulated perimeter.
- Some products are limited to qualified / professional investors.
- In Singapore Sygnum is not a bank: no Swiss-style deposit protection for Singapore clients.
- The supported token list is more conservative than an exchange's: assets are added slowly, after the bank's own review.
Q/A
Is Sygnum a real bank?
Yes — in Switzerland it has held a full FINMA banking licence since 2019. In Singapore it operates under MAS CMS and regulated neobank licences, which is not bank status.
What happens to crypto assets if the bank fails?
Custody assets are held off balance sheet and segregated: under Swiss law they do not enter the bankruptcy estate and are returned to the client. Fiat deposits are protected by esisuisse up to CHF 100,000.
Is there a minimum entry threshold?
No public minimum. In practice the bank serves qualified investors and institutions; terms are agreed individually.
Can I borrow against crypto without selling it?
Yes — a Lombard loan in CHF, EUR, USD or SGD against 20+ tokens, including staked SOL. Collateral stays in custody and keeps earning staking rewards.
Related: Crypto for Private Wealth, Crypto-friendly Jurisdictions, Digital Asset Custody, AMINA Bank, Bank Frick
📎 We maintain a comparison file of crypto-friendly banks — licences, products, entry thresholds, onboarding. Request the current version via the form at wiki.private.law.