Deloitte Taiwan & Zodia Custody strike digital pact

Deloitte Taiwan has signed a memorandum of understanding with Zodia Custody focused on digital asset services for financial institutions in Taiwan.

The partnership comes as Taiwan develops its regulatory framework for digital assets, including the anticipated Virtual Asset Service Act, and as financial institutions assess how to handle custody, security and cross-border activity in the sector.

Deloitte Taiwan will combine its regulatory advisory, risk management and governance work with Zodia Custody's digital asset infrastructure to support institutions seeking to enter or expand in the market. The arrangement is intended to help banks, asset managers, family offices, and other regulated entities assess digital asset use cases and establish operating frameworks aligned with international markets.

Financial institutions, including Standard Chartered, Northern Trust, SBI Holdings, National Australia Bank, and Emirates NBD, back Zodia Custody. It operates across Europe, the US, the Middle East and Asia, offering custody and trading infrastructure for digital assets.

The companies also plan to conduct joint market research and knowledge-sharing in Taiwan, focusing on market education and broader adoption of digital assets among financial institutions.

Regulatory shift

Taiwan's digital asset market has been moving toward a more formal regulatory structure as policymakers refine rules for service providers and institutions active in the sector. That has increased demand for advisory work on compliance, governance and operational risk as firms prepare for stricter oversight.

Deloitte Taiwan's role in the partnership reflects that shift. The firm expects institutions to place greater emphasis on fitting digital asset activities within local rules while also meeting standards for cross-border business.

Chris Chen, Leader of Risk, Regulatory Compliance, and Forensic Services at Deloitte Taiwan, described the market backdrop in those terms.

"As digital assets move toward a fully established regulatory framework and enter mainstream markets, the demand for compliance, security, and international connectivity continues to grow. Through this collaboration with Zodia Custody, Deloitte Taiwan will leverage its expertise in regulatory advisory and industry insights to help enterprises adopt world-class digital asset infrastructure in compliance with Taiwan's regulations, thereby strengthening their competitiveness in global markets," Chen said.

Institutional focus

Zodia Custody said its services are aimed at regulated institutions and designed to fit into existing operating models. The company provides custody, transfer, lending and exchange functions for digital assets, and said its systems are intended to reduce operational risk and support compliance across jurisdictions.

The Taiwan agreement adds to a broader push by digital asset service providers to work with established financial institutions as regulation becomes clearer in parts of Asia. Rather than target retail investors, many firms in this segment are focusing on banks, fund managers and family offices seeking digital asset exposure within controlled operating structures.

Deborah Algeo, Managing Director for Singapore and Hong Kong at Zodia Custody, said the company sees Taiwan as entering a new stage in that process.

"Together with Deloitte, we are equipping financial institutions in Taiwan with the infrastructure, risk management architecture, and global connectivity needed to participate meaningfully in the next phase of digital asset adoption in Asia. As Taiwan's regulatory environment matures, the opportunity is no longer just about entry, but about scaling with confidence and credibility. This collaboration is designed to help institutions accelerate their digital assets journey and connect them to global markets in a way that meets the expectations of regulators and clients alike," Algeo said.

The partnership points to closer ties between advisory firms and specialist digital asset companies in a market where regulation is becoming central to strategy. For institutions in Taiwan, the focus is shifting from whether to engage with digital assets to how to do so within governance, risk and compliance structures that satisfy both domestic rules and international counterparties.