Metaco
Metaco (now Ripple Custody) is a Swiss-founded digital asset custody technology provider, acquired by Ripple for $250M in 2023, serving tier-1 banks and financial institutions with institutional-grade custody, issuance, and management of cryptocurrency assets.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersLausanne, Switzerland
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Metaco does
Metaco is a Swiss-based institutional digital asset custody technology company founded in 2015 in Lausanne and now operating as Ripple Custody following its May 2023 acquisition by Ripple for $250 million. The company builds the software infrastructure that enables banks and other regulated financial institutions to securely custody, issue, transfer, and manage cryptocurrency and other digital assets within established compliance frameworks. Its core proprietary technology is an institutional-grade custody platform that integrates into a bank's existing core systems and is deployed alongside complementary infrastructure from partners such as Fireblocks (which provides hot wallet and connectivity layers). Metaco's technology underpins tier-1 institutional deployments including BNP Paribas Securities Services, Citi, and Societe Generale FORGE (the latter using Metaco's shared custody capability to issue the EUR Coinvertible EURCV stablecoin on the XRP Ledger at €65.8M issuance). Following the acquisition, Metaco was combined with Standard Custody and rebranded as Ripple Custody, which now operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ripple holding a New York BitLicense and trust-chartered bank status — a regulatory combination that allows it to serve US regulated institutional clients directly.
Metaco's business model is enterprise B2B software licensing sold through direct, long-cycle enterprise integration partnerships with major banks and financial institutions, rather than through self-serve or channel distribution. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is consistent with bespoke multi-year enterprise contracts tied to integration depth and assets under custody. Go-to-market is concentrated on tier-1 financial institutions; pre-acquisition headcount of 101–250 employees supports deep technical integration services. Post-acquisition, the revenue mechanics are no longer reported independently but are now bundled into Ripple's broader institutional platform alongside Ripple Payments, the RLUSD stablecoin, Ripple Prime (formerly Hidden Road, acquired for $1.25B), Ripple Treasury (formerly GTreasury, acquired for $1B), and the Tokenization offering on the XRP Ledger — converting Metaco's custody asset into a single component of a full-stack institutional digital asset infrastructure play valued at approximately $50 billion at the Ripple parent level.
Metaco firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Metaco
- Legal name
- Metaco SA
- Website
- https://metaco.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Metaco (now Ripple Custody) is a Swiss-founded digital asset custody technology provider, acquired by Ripple for $250M in 2023, serving tier-1 banks and financial institutions with institutional-grade custody, issuance, and management of cryptocurrency assets.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Metaco industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Institutional Digital Asset Custody
- NAICS
- Securities and Commodity Contracts Intermediation and Brokerage (5231)
- SIC
- Finance Services (6199), Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Digital Asset Custody & Key Management (MPC, HSM, Wallet Infra) (FSAGAMAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Institutional DeFi & On-Chain Liquidity Infrastructure (Permissioned DeFi, Lending) (FSAGAMAG), Reserve Management, Custody & Segregated Accounts (Backing Infrastructure) (FSADADAD), Prime Financing & Credit Intermediation (Institutional) (FSADAJAH)
Keywords
Where Metaco is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lausanne
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
Metaco business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Distribution channels1 record
Metaco product offering
Product offeringCore offering
METACO designs institutional-grade digital asset custody infrastructure for banks and financial institutions. Its platform enables regulated institutions to securely store, issue, transfer, and manage cryptocurrencies and other digital assets within compliance frameworks. The technology integrates into existing core banking infrastructure and supports custody, tokenization, and stablecoin operations for clients such as BNP Paribas, Citi, and Societe Generale FORGE.
Product overview
Ripple's institutional infrastructure platform offers a full-stack digital asset solution built through acquisitions. The core products include Payments (cross-border settlement in 3-5 seconds), Custody (digital asset storage and governance), RLUSD Stablecoin (compliance-first stablecoin for regulated institutions), Prime Brokerage (multi-asset clearing and cross-margining), Treasury Management (AI-powered cash visibility and forecasting), and Tokenization (RWA tokenization on XRP Ledger). The custody infrastructure was acquired through Ripple's $250M purchase of Metaco in 2023, which included shared custody technology used by partners like Societe Generale FORGE.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Digital Asset Custody Solution Institutional-grade custody solution that enables financial institutions such as banks to issue, transfer, and securely store crypto assets. It integrates into existing bank infrastructure alongside connectivity providers like Fireblocks.
- Ripple Custody (formerly Metaco / Standard Custody) Regulated digital asset custody offering combining Metaco's institutional custody technology with Standard Custody's trust-chartered bank and New York BitLicense, enabling compliant storage and management of digital assets for institutions.
- Shared Custody Technology Shared custody infrastructure that supports partner-operated digital asset products, including stablecoin issuance and management, leveraging Metaco's custody stack within Ripple's digital asset infrastructure.
Companies that use Metaco
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles2 records
Metaco technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature2 records
Metaco partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- BNP Paribas Securities ServicescoreBNP Paribas partnered with METACO and Fireblocks to develop a digital assets custody solution enabling customers to issue, transfer, and securely store crypto assets. Fireblocks serves as the hot wallet and connectivity infrastructure provider while METACO's custody solution is integrated into BNP Paribas' institutional offerings.
- Societe Generale FORGE (SG-FORGE)coreSociete Generale FORGE has shared custody technology ties through Ripple's 2023 acquisition of Metaco. SG-FORGE launched its EUR Coinvertible (EURCV) stablecoin on the XRP Ledger, with total issuance of €65.8 million ($77.7m), the second largest euro stablecoin.
- CiticoreCiti signed a deal with Swiss provider Metaco in June 2022 for crypto custody technology, which was later acquired by Ripple in May 2023, raising questions about the continuation of the collaboration.
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Metaco competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- NYDIG: Institutional Bitcoin custody, execution, and mining services firm. Targets banks and corporates with regulated custody offerings, overlapping with Metaco's institutional focus.
- Fireblocks: Institutional digital asset custody and infrastructure platform that competes directly with Metaco and is also a co-deployed partner (with Metaco on the BNP Paribas offering). Serves the same bank and institutional client base with hot wallet, custody, and DeFi connectivity.
- Anchorage Digital: Federally chartered crypto bank providing institutional digital asset custody, trading, and staking. Direct competitor to Metaco in the bank-grade custody space, with overlapping regulatory positioning and institutional client base.
- BitGo: One of the longest-standing institutional digital asset custody providers, offering qualified custody, cold storage, and prime brokerage. Targets the same bank, hedge fund, and corporate treasury customers as Metaco.
- Taurus SA: Swiss-headquartered institutional digital asset infrastructure provider covering custody, tokenization, and blockchain services. Direct peer with shared Swiss banking roots and similar European bank client focus.
- Zodia Custody: Institutional digital asset custodian backed by Standard Chartered and Northern Trust. Competes with Metaco for global bank custody mandates with a comparable institutional-only positioning.
Broad incumbents
- Coinbase Prime: Institutional arm of Coinbase offering custody, trading, and financing for digital assets at scale. Competes with Metaco for institutional bank and asset manager clients, with broader product breadth but less bank-native positioning.
- Fidelity Digital Assets: Enterprise-grade digital asset custody and trading services from Fidelity Investments. Direct competitor to Metaco for institutional bank and asset manager custody mandates, backed by one of the world's largest asset managers.
Emerging players
- Hex Trust: Asia-headquartered institutional digital asset custodian offering custody, staking, and DeFi access. Competes for the same bank and institutional segment as Metaco, with stronger APAC geographic reach.
- Paxos Trust Company: Regulated blockchain infrastructure platform offering custody, tokenization, and stablecoin issuance (USDP, PayPal's PYUSD). Comparable regulatory positioning (NYDFS trust charter) and institutional client overlap with Metaco.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Metaco social profiles
Digital presenceMetaco financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Metaco leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Metaco subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Metaco funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors11 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Metaco M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Metaco
What does Metaco do?
METACO designs institutional-grade digital asset custody infrastructure for banks and financial institutions. Its platform enables regulated institutions to securely store, issue, transfer, and manage cryptocurrencies and other digital assets within compliance frameworks. The technology integrates into existing core banking infrastructure and supports custody, tokenization, and stablecoin operations for clients such as BNP Paribas, Citi, and Societe Generale FORGE.
Is Metaco a public or private company?
Metaco is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Metaco founded?
Metaco was founded in 2015. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Metaco based?
Metaco is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
Who are Metaco's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are NYDIG, Fireblocks, Anchorage Digital, BitGo, Taurus SA and Zodia Custody. Broad incumbents are Coinbase Prime and Fidelity Digital Assets. Emerging players are Hex Trust and Paxos Trust Company.
Does Metaco have an API?
No public API is recorded for Metaco.
What industry is Metaco in?
Metaco's product category is Institutional Digital Asset Custody. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAGAMAB, Digital Asset Custody & Key Management (MPC, HSM, Wallet Infra), with a secondary code of FSAGAMAG, Institutional DeFi & On-Chain Liquidity Infrastructure (Permissioned DeFi, Lending). Its NAICS code is 5231 and its SIC code is 6199.