GK8 by Galaxy

What GK8 by Galaxy does

GK8 by Galaxy provides institutional-grade digital asset custody infrastructure to banks, exchanges, custodians, hedge funds, and crypto-native companies. Founded in 2018 in Israel by Lior Lamesh and Shahar Shamai — both veterans of national-asset cybersecurity — GK8 was acquired by Galaxy Digital Holdings (Nasdaq: GLXY) from Celsius Network in February 2023 for $44 million and now operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary.

The platform rests on two patented core technologies: the Impenetrable Vault, which uses a one-way communication architecture with zero digital input to keep custody entirely offline and air-gapped from cyberattack surfaces, and uMPC (Unlimited MPC), a multi-party computation implementation that supports an unlimited number of co-signers with high transaction throughput. A Tokenization Wizard allows institutions to convert real-world assets (real estate, fine art, equities, securities) into digital tokens without coding. The stack integrates with MetaMask Institutional, WalletConnect, and major DeFi protocols (AAVE, UniSwap, 1inch, Ondo Finance, Lido stETH), and offers up to $1B in insurance coverage per vault client via a partnership with USI Insurance Services.

Commercially, GK8 sells exclusively through a direct enterprise field-sales motion targeting financial institutions globally, with quote-based annual subscriptions. The company is headquartered in Ramat Gan (Tel Aviv District) with a sales presence in Hong Kong and named institutional customers including BDACS (Korea), AllUnity (DWS/Flow Traders/Galaxy Euro stablecoin JV), and CaixaBank (innovation program). Certifications include SOC 2 Type 2 (E&Y validated), GDPR, CCPA, and optional FIPS 140-2 Level 3/4 iHSM hardware.

Name

GK8 by Galaxy

Legal name

GK8 LLC and GDS Crypto Technologies Israel, Ltd.

Website

https://gk8.io

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

GK8 by Galaxy provides institutional digital asset custody built on patented air-gapped (Impenetrable Vault) and unlimited-MPC (uMPC) technology, serving banks, custodians, exchanges, and crypto-native firms via direct enterprise sales as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Galaxy Digital (Nasdaq: GLXY).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Asset Custody

SIC

Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Asset Custody & Key Management (MPC, HSM, Wallet Infra) (FSAGAMAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Custody Technology Platforms (Custody-as-a-Service) (FSADACAB), Digital Asset Custody (Institutional Crypto Custody) (FSAFAHAH), MPC / HSM / Key Management Infrastructure (FSADACAC)

Keywords

• Digital asset custody
• Institutional custody
• Cold storage
• Multi-party computation
• Asset tokenization

Headquarters

HQ city

Tel Aviv

HQ country

Israel

HQ region

Middle East

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Digital Asset Custody Platform: Subscription/licensing model for institutional-grade digital asset custody infrastructure. Includes Impenetrable Vault and uMPC solutions with features like tokenization, staking, DeFi access, and trading support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

GK8 by Galaxy provides institutional-grade self-custody technology for digital assets. Its platform combines an Impenetrable Vault (patented air-gapped cold storage with one-way communication and zero digital input) with Unlimited MPC (uMPC) for hot-wallet-grade transaction signing, plus a Tokenization Wizard that lets institutions convert real-world assets into digital tokens. The offering targets banks, exchanges, hedge funds, and crypto-native firms needing theft-proof custody, regulatory compliance, and DeFi/staking access.

Product overview

GK8 by Galaxy provides an end-to-end platform for digital asset self-custody and operations. The portfolio consists of three core products: Impenetrable Vault (theft-proof custody using patented one-way communication with zero digital input), uMPC (Unlimited MPC offering unlimited co-signers with high-speed transaction processing), and Tokenization Wizard (enabling any asset to be transformed into a secure digital token within minutes). These products serve two solution paths: TradFi (for traditional financial institutions requiring bank-grade custody) and Crypto Native (for crypto-native companies needing self-managed, on-chain solutions). The platform integrates with MetaMask Institutional and WalletConnect for secure DeFi access and supports connections to protocols including AAVE, UniSwap, 1inch, Ondo Finance, and SparkFi.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Impenetrable Vault Custody technology that uses patented one-way communication with zero digital input, never connecting to the internet. Enables financial institutions to offer digital assets that are 100% theft-proof. Supports insurance coverage up to $1B per client.
• uMPC (Unlimited MPC) Patented MPC-based end-to-end custody solution enabling an unlimited number of co-signers, high-speed transaction processing, and flexible key shard distribution (cloud, on-premise, HSM, or hybrid). Insurance coverage up to $125M per MPC instance.
• Tokenization Wizard No-code platform that enables institutions to tokenize real-world assets—including real estate, fine art, intellectual property, and equities—into secure digital tokens within minutes. Supports minting, distribution, burning, and allowlist/blocklist management.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% theft-proof digital asset custody through zero internet connectivity
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• USI Insurance ServicescoreOthersPartnership with USI Insurance Services, a leading insurance brokerage and consulting firm, enables GK8 clients to access up to $1 billion of dedicated insurance coverage per vault client - the highest insurance limit in the digital asset custody market. USI is one of the largest insurance brokerage and consulting firms in the world with approximately 200 offices serving large risk management clients, middle market companies, and individuals.
• BDACScoreTechnology or IntegrationBDACS, Korea's leading regulated institutional custodian, standardized its entire institutional platform on GK8's Impenetrable Vault, uMPC, and policy-driven orchestration technology. GK8 serves as BDACS's custody technology provider, enabling BDACS to offer theft-proof digital asset custody to Korean financial institutions.
• ConsenSys / MetaMask InstitutionalmajorTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with MetaMask Institutional (built by ConsenSys) enables GK8 users to access the institutional rendition of the popular on-chain wallet from their MPC vault. This integration provides broad access to decentralized finance (DeFi) services while maintaining institutional-grade security and compliance features.
• WalletConnectmajorTechnology or IntegrationGK8 integrated WalletConnect directly into its uMPC framework, creating a secure communication channel between institutional custody systems and DeFi protocols. GK8 clients can now use the GK8 uMPC mobile app to connect to apps such as AAVE, Solana DeFi, 1inch, UniSwap, Ondo Finance, and SparkFi.
• CaixaBankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGK8 was selected from more than 200 companies and 28 countries by CaixaBank as part of its Innovation Program. CaixaBank is the leading financial group in Spain and one of the largest in the eurozone, representing an innovation partnership with a major European financial institution.
• Lido FinancemajorTechnology or IntegrationGK8 launched custody support for Lido's stETH (liquid staking tokens), expanding institutional access to liquid staking. This integration enables GK8 clients to securely custody stETH assets while participating in Ethereum's proof-of-stake ecosystem.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Fireblocks: Largest institutional digital asset custody and transfer platform using MPC, directly competing with GK8's uMPC across banks, exchanges, and hedge funds.
• Anchorage Digital: Federally chartered US crypto custodian offering institutional custody, staking, and trading – overlapping with GK8's TradFi and crypto-native solution paths.
• BitGo: Long-standing institutional digital asset custodian with cold storage and MPC offerings, serving the same exchanges, hedge funds, and fintech custody customers as GK8.
• Hex Trust: Asia-headquartered regulated institutional digital asset custodian offering custody, staking, and DeFi access with proprietary infrastructure – direct competitor in APAC.
• Cobo: Institutional digital asset custody and wallet infrastructure provider with MPC and smart contract custody, serving exchanges, funds, and Web3 companies overlapping with GK8.
• Gemini Custody: Regulated US-based custodian (NYDFS Trust) offering institutional-grade cold and warm storage, competing for the same regulated-custodian RFPs as GK8.
• Zodia Custody: Standard Chartered-backed institutional crypto custodian targeting banks and asset managers in Europe and the Middle East – directly comparable TradFi positioning to GK8.

Broad incumbents

• Coinbase Custody (Coinbase Institutional): Custody arm of Coinbase, the largest US crypto exchange; competes for institutional mandates while benefitting from broader exchange, brokerage, and prime brokerage services.
• Metaco (acquired by Ripple): Provider of institutional digital asset custody and tokenization orchestration software to banks, now part of Ripple; competes with GK8's TradFi custody and tokenization stack.

Emerging players

• Ledger Enterprise: Enterprise offering from hardware wallet leader Ledger, extending into institutional self-custody with HSM-based solutions – an emerging MPC/Hybrid custody competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCGD5TAhTYij6JgVeZgc3QTA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gk8
• Xx.com/GK8_Security

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about GK8 by Galaxy