Briefing
The SEC’s Division of Investment Management issued a pivotal No-Action Letter on September 30, 2025, confirming that Registered Investment Advisers (RIAs) and Registered Funds may treat certain state-chartered trust companies as “banks” for the purposes of the custody rules under the Advisers Act and the 1940 Act. This action immediately resolves a critical regulatory ambiguity, providing a legally viable and scalable pathway for regulated financial entities to custody digital assets, thereby unlocking institutional capital and legitimizing state-level custodial solutions. The relief is conditional upon rigorous compliance, including mandatory asset segregation and the provision of audited SOC-1 or SOC-2 reports on custodial controls.
Context
Prior to this guidance, a significant compliance chasm existed for RIAs and Registered Funds seeking to hold digital assets, as the definition of a “bank” under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 did not explicitly or reliably encompass state-chartered trust companies for crypto-specific custody. This ambiguity forced institutional entities to either avoid the asset class or navigate complex, untested custody structures, severely restricting the flow of institutional capital due to the risk of an SEC enforcement action for violating the qualified custodian requirement.
Analysis
This No-Action Letter fundamentally alters the compliance architecture for RIAs and regulated funds by expanding the universe of permissible qualified custodians beyond federal banks. The new certainty enables firms to update their compliance frameworks to incorporate state-chartered trust companies, which, in turn, facilitates the launch of new digital asset investment products. Crucially, the requirement for documented due diligence, including annual review of SOC reports and a best-interest determination, embeds operational risk mitigation directly into the RIA’s compliance workflow. This is a critical update because it provides a clear, actionable regulatory mechanism for institutional digital asset adoption, shifting the focus from legal uncertainty to robust control systems.
Parameters
- NAL Date of Issuance ∞ September 30, 2025 ∞ The date the SEC Division of Investment Management formally issued the no-action letter.
- Required Custodial Standard ∞ SOC-1 or SOC-2 Report ∞ Independent audit confirmation of the state trust company’s effective controls for safeguarding crypto assets.
- Governing Legislation ∞ Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ∞ The primary statute whose “qualified custodian” definition is clarified by the no-action relief.
- Mandatory Custody Condition ∞ Asset Segregation ∞ The custody agreement must require client crypto assets to be segregated from the custodian’s proprietary holdings.
Outlook
The immediate outlook points to a significant increase in institutional engagement with state-level custodial providers, potentially setting a precedent for other US federal agencies to recognize state-chartered entities in the digital asset ecosystem. The NAL’s conditional nature, however, foreshadows potential future rulemaking, as the SEC’s regulatory agenda includes broader amendments to the custody rule. The second-order effect is a likely acceleration of competition among custodians, forcing all providers to enhance their operational controls and cybersecurity protocols to meet the now-codified due diligence standards required by RIAs.
Verdict
This targeted SEC relief establishes a necessary regulatory bridge for institutional capital, effectively transforming crypto custody from an enforcement risk into a standardized, compliance-driven operational function.
