self-custody

MetaMask launched the self-custody wallet Agent Wallet on Thursday, allowing AI agents to execute on-chain transactions within user-defined limits, aimed at traders and developers using AI agents to monitor the market, identify opportunities, and autonomously execute trades. Users can set spending limits, approve specific protocols, choose risk settings, and select different levels of automation between Guard Mode and Beast Mode.Agent Wallet supports Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, OpenClaw, Hermes, OpenCode, as well as Hyperliquid and Ethereum Virtual Machine compatible networks. Agent Wallet supports gas abstraction, allowing users to pay network fees with the assets being transferred, without needing to hold the corresponding native tokens of the network. MetaMask stated that supported transactions will undergo transaction simulation, threat scanning, and smart trading MEV protection, and if qualifying transactions incur losses after passing security checks, they can receive up to $10,000 in Transaction Protection coverage per month.

CZ forwarded Willy Woo's post about Bitcoin loss data, stating that if the data is accurate, from a statistical perspective, exchange-held assets may be safer than self-custodied ones. Exchanges are more likely to be targeted by hackers, making such incidents easier to quantify, while thefts or losses from self-custodied wallets often go unreported, making related data harder to collect.On the other hand, the data from exchanges is also influenced by some exchanges that have already gone bankrupt. Finally, CZ emphasized that no custodial method is absolutely superior; different solutions are suitable for different users, and adopting a balanced asset custody approach may be a better choice. The statistical data previously released by Willy Woo indicates that approximately 1.57 million Bitcoins have been permanently lost due to self-custody. Additionally, around 1.51 million Bitcoins have been lost due to incidents such as hacking attacks and bankruptcies of exchanges.

As the Coldcard hardware wallet exposes firmware vulnerabilities, over 80 million USD in BTC is stolen, and the market re-discusses whether to turn to institutional custody or directly buy Bitcoin ETFs, well-known analyst Willy Woo responded in a post stating that he does not oppose ETFs or custody solutions. They have many benefits in gaining recognition and accessing the traditional financial system, but the uniqueness of Bitcoin lies in the fact that it is the only truly sovereign mature digital asset, without nationality, cannot be blocked, diluted, or confiscated by any country, and only by mastering self-custody can one obtain this attribute.Willy Woo stated that since World War II, the West has mostly lived in a bubble of security, but as Ray Dalio pointed out based on 1500 years of historical research, stability itself is a cycle. When the cycle ends, people will need reserves that can protect them when the world briefly collapses, while custodial assets may fail, and governments may confiscate assets both in the past and in the future. He indicated that we are currently in the later stage of this cycle and recommended allocating 15% of assets to sovereign assets such as Bitcoin and gold.

Strive Vice President Joe Burnett posted on platform X that the recent weeks may be among the worst in Bitcoin's history. Many people purchased recognized hardware wallets, generated mnemonic phrases offline, and followed established best practices, yet still lost a significant amount of Bitcoin due to a vulnerability affecting COLDCARD wallet that generated mnemonic phrases since March 2021 and beyond. This vulnerability went undetected for over 5 years.Joe Burnett stated that this will permanently change people's confidence in self-custody. Self-custody will still exist, but it has been permanently altered. For those who wish to directly control a large amount of Bitcoin, the standard should be multi-vendor multi-signature, with keys generated independently using different hardware and different software, and stored in different physical locations. If this approach is unacceptable, then institutional-grade custodians should be used.Joe Burnett mentioned that the current wave of Bitcoin adoption is happening through ETFs, treasury companies, and institutional custodians, primarily from individuals who unintentionally become experts in private key generation, hardware security, firmware, backups, inheritance planning, and physical storage. A single key generated by one hardware wallet protecting a large amount of Bitcoin poses excessive concentration risk.Joe Burnett also stated that institutional custody may ultimately lead to excessive Bitcoin concentration in the hands of large companies, resulting in risks of censorship, seizure, and confiscation. However, Bitcoin's portability and settlement attributes provide a crucial counterbalance, allowing users to create wallets and request custodians to send Bitcoin, transitioning from counterparty risk to direct ownership within minutes.Joe Burnett believes that as long as Bitcoin itself remains secure, the failure of any particular custody method does not negate the underlying monetary system, but rather forces the market to develop better tools, stronger standards, and more resilient custody frameworks. This week may ultimately mark the end of an era for Bitcoin custody and the beginning of the next wave of Bitcoin adoption.

According to The Block, Trezor's Chief Business Officer Danny Sanders refuted recent criticisms of cryptocurrency hardware wallets made by blockchain investigator ZachXBT.Earlier this week, ZachXBT posted on Telegram, "All hardware wallets are complete garbage and I do not recommend using them for important tasks such as signing transactions or storing funds," and suggested that users use a dedicated iPhone to store funds and sign transactions.In response, Sanders acknowledged in an interview that firmware/software updates for hardware wallets can sometimes interfere with urgent or large transactions, and that the user experience can indeed be "clunky," understanding the users' frustration. However, he opposed ZachXBT's blanket statement: while hardware wallets may not be the best single solution for advanced users managing large amounts of funds, they are not garbage.He pointed out that compared to hardware wallets, the operating system and connectivity features of an iPhone present more "attack risks." For the average cryptocurrency user, hardware wallets remain the best self-custody option available.

A court in São Paulo, Brazil ruled that Coinbase must refund nearly $100,000 to a user who claimed that funds deposited in their Coinbase Wallet disappeared in an unauthorized transaction. Coinbase argued that the wallet's private key is entirely controlled by the user, but failed to prove that the transaction was initiated by the wallet holder, nor did it demonstrate the existence of security measures to prevent this outcome.The court made its ruling based on relevant provisions of the Consumer Protection Law and ordered Coinbase to refund the full amount along with statutory interest.

According to The Block, Binance Co-CEO Richard Teng stated at the Reuters NEXT Asia summit in Singapore that after Binance suspended services to some EU users, about 70% of users' withdrawal assets flowed to self-custody wallets, with only 30% transferred to licensed platforms that comply with MiCA regulatory requirements.Richard Teng indicated that this data raises questions about the regulatory goals of MiCA. He pointed out that self-custody wallets are not subject to the anti-money laundering (AML) and KYC regulatory frameworks of regulated trading platforms, and the risk may actually increase once user assets are transferred to self-custody.Previously, Binance proactively withdrew its application for a MiCA license in Greece after it failed to be approved before the July 1 transition deadline, and suspended related services to affected EU users. Richard Teng stated that Binance has not given up on the European market, and several EU countries have invited it to reapply for local licenses, although he did not disclose specific countries.In addition, Richard Teng mentioned that Binance plans to continue accelerating its expansion in the Asian market, having already obtained relevant licenses or permissions in markets such as Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Australia, India, and Pakistan, and expects to gain more regulatory approvals this year. Currently, Binance's global user base has increased to approximately 323 million.

The New Hampshire House Bill HB639 has completed the registration process. The bill specifies that state and local governments may not restrict individuals from using digital assets for payments or holding assets through self-custody wallets, nor may they impose additional taxes solely for the use of digital assets.At the same time, individuals or businesses operating nodes, engaging in mining or staking activities, are not required to obtain a money transmission license, and such activities are not considered the issuance or sale of securities.

According to CoinDesk, MetaMask has announced the launch of a new self-custody account called "Money Account," which integrates stablecoin earnings, payment consumption, and trading functions into a single wallet system, further promoting its transformation into a comprehensive financial platform.This product is released by Consensys and built on the Monad blockchain, with the core asset being the USD-pegged stablecoin mUSD. Users can earn up to approximately 4% floating annual yield while holding assets, with funds automatically allocated to decentralized lending protocols such as Morpho, and Aave will be integrated later.Unlike traditional DeFi products, this account does not require manual transfers of funds between protocols; earnings automatically take effect after deposit and can be directly used for token exchanges, perpetual contracts, and prediction market trading functions.

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Commissioner Hester Peirce expressed views on the future regulation of perpetual contracts, prediction markets, and digital assets, with an overall tone that is relatively positive and open.Hester Peirce reviewed the Rule 611 trading transparency proposal that has been in the works for about 20 years, pointing out that the so-called "innovation exemption" mechanism will be intentionally set to be strict and limited, in order to balance market innovation and investor protection.Hester Peirce stated that a clearer regulatory framework should be adopted for new financial products such as tokenized securities, perpetual contracts, and prediction markets, rather than simply imposing restrictions or vague regulations. She also emphasized two core principles: self-custody and financial privacy should become fundamental rights in the future regulatory system and should be incorporated into the subsequent design of digital asset regulations.

According to The Block, executives from hardware wallet manufacturer Trezor stated that the market's trend of fully pushing Bitcoin towards ETFization may pose a long-term risk to the core principles of the crypto industry. According to the company's Chief Business Officer Danny Sanders during the BTC Prague event, the current global crypto user base is approximately 600 million, but only about 10% of users choose to self-custody their assets, with only about 12 to 13 million users using hardware wallets.Since the launch of the U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF in 2024, which has attracted over $53 billion in inflows, institutional allocation of Bitcoin has significantly increased. However, Sanders pointed out that this trend may also weaken users' behavior of directly holding private keys. He believes that self-custody is one of the core attributes of the Bitcoin system, but there are still significant challenges in terms of user experience and security thresholds, leading more users to prefer participating in the market through custodial tools like exchanges or ETFs.Sanders emphasized that the industry should focus on improving the usability and security of self-custody, rather than simply accepting the path of "putting Bitcoin into ETFs." He stated that if the long-term evolution leads to an ETF-dominated holding structure, it would undermine the foundational logic of Bitcoin as a decentralized asset, which could be the "least ideal outcome" for the industry.

According to The Block, MetaMask has launched a non-custodial wallet for AI agents called Agent Wallet, which will support automated trading, perpetual contracts, prediction markets, and liquidity provision on the Ethereum ecosystem and multiple EVM chains and Hyperliquid.Consensys stated that the wallet features mandatory trade simulation, user-defined spending limits, and whitelist rules, and integrates with Blockaid to scan for suspicious transactions. If risks are triggered, user confirmation will be required through 2FA push notifications or email.Eligible and deemed safe transactions will receive up to $10,000 in compensation under MetaMask Transaction Protection. The product is currently available to a limited number of users via command line, with general availability expected for more users this summer.

Cointelegraph posted on the X platform that the governor of South Carolina has signed Bill S.163. The bill protects the self-custody rights of Bitcoin, prohibits discriminatory taxes on Bitcoin, and safeguards the rights of proof-of-work mining in the state.

According to official news, Consensys submitted a comment letter to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) stating that the SEC's latest interpretive framework for crypto assets may leave regulatory gaps, creating compliance uncertainty for self-custody wallet providers like MetaMask.Consensys requests that the SEC clarify through a targeted safe harbor or other exemption measures that self-custody, user-led interfaces that only support the trading of non-security crypto assets potentially attached to investment contracts do not need to register as broker-dealers.Consensys stated that this move aims to ensure that U.S. users can continue to use open, neutral peer-to-peer blockchain tools.

MARA has launched the MARA Foundation to enhance Bitcoin's defense capabilities against security threats, covering risks such as quantum computing, while expanding the accessibility of self-custody and providing educational resources.

Blockchain.com announced the launch of perpetual contract trading features supported by Hyperliquid in its non-custodial DeFi wallet, allowing users to conduct leveraged trading directly within their own wallets without the need to transfer assets to third-party exchanges, achieving full self-custody.