At the World of MicroStrategy: Bitcoin for Enterprise conference, Nathan McCauley, co-founder and CEO of Anchorage Digitalshared his thoughts on the increasing rate of institutional Bitcoin adoption.
Anchorage Digital, the only federally chartered Bitcoin bank and leading institutional custodian, plays a critical role in facilitating this transformation of Bitcoin into an institutionally invested asset by providing secure storage and trading solutions for the asset.
In an interview with Bitcoin Magazine, McCauley discussed the company's mission, evolving interest from institutions, and how Anchorage clients are dealing with Bitcoin's volatility among other topics.
The rise of institutional interest in Bitcoin
Looking back on his career in technology and founding Anchorage Digital in 2017, McCauley highlights the company's goal of serving a diverse range of institutional clients, including large corporations, sovereign wealth funds and governments.
“We provide a secure place for institutions to store their bitcoins and enable them to trade and manage their holdings,” McCauley told Bitcoin Magazine.
Over the four years that MicroStrategy has hosted the Bitcoin for Corporations conference, Bitcoin has seen a significant shift from being a taboo topic to a legitimate asset class attracting significant institutional interest.
McCauley noted that this increased interest is not a sudden phenomenon but rather the result of sustained demand over time.
“The demand for Bitcoin has always been there,” he said. “Actually, one of the counter-intuitive things I would say to people is that Bitcoin ETFs didn't create that demand. The demand was already there. There were already people interested in getting involved in this space.”
Customer satisfaction and long-term commitment
When asked about how clients feel coming out of a Bitcoin bear market, McCauley emphasized that those institutions that develop a long-term perspective on Bitcoin tend to be more comfortable.
“Most of our clients are committed to holding Bitcoin for the long term and have been satisfied with their investments and relationship with Anchorage,” he said.
Anchorage's dedicated customer experience team plays a critical role in helping clients navigate volatility and manage their investments effectively, he added.
Infrastructure for financial advisors
Anchorage is not only focused on helping clients hold Bitcoin, but also building the necessary infrastructure for financial advisors to facilitate Bitcoin investments for their clients.
“We are developing comprehensive custody and trade integration systems to support financial advisors nationwide,” he explained.
Global talent
An important aspect of Anchorage's strategy is its global approach to recruiting talent.
“Bitcoin is a global movement, and we are recruiting talent from different regions, including the US, Portugal and Singapore,” McCauley said.
“The whole point is to democratize access to these financial assets around the world. Anything less than doing that when we think about where we're hiring and where we're bringing talent to the company would be a kind of betrayal of the ecosystem.” he added.
Charter of the Federal Trust Bank of Anchorage
Anchorage's credibility is further enhanced by its Federal Reserve Bank charter, making it one of the few cryptocurrency companies supervised by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).
“This level of oversight and compliance rigor puts us on par with the largest banks in the country,” McCauley said.
Achieving this charter includes building a secure and resilient custody system and demonstrating compliance capabilities to the OCC.
The era of institutional adoption
In a keynote talk at the conference, Michael Saylor, CEO of MicroStrategy, walked the audience through a timeline for Bitcoin adoption. In it, he noted that we have moved on from the days of the Wild West of the asset and shared that the days of “crypto chaos” – the 2020-2023 era in the broader crypto space – are behind us.
McCauley agrees with that assessment and sees Anchorage as a key player in this transformation.
He cited early predictions by figures like Hal Finney, who predicted that banks would eventually hold most of Bitcoin.
“Anchorage is a manifestation of this vision, and we are committed to driving further institutional growth in the Bitcoin space,” McCauley concluded.
As Bitcoin continues to gain acceptance among institutions, companies like Anchorage Digital are at the forefront, providing the necessary infrastructure and regulatory compliance to support this growth.
The insights shared by Nathan McAuley underscore the importance of long-term commitment, education, and global collaboration in driving institutional adoption of Bitcoin.