UK-based Copper adds custody, staking support for MINA

Digital asset custody and collateral management provider Copper now offers custody and staking support for the Mina Protocol.

Copper.co announced its support for the Mina Protocol (MINA) on August 21, stating that support for the zero-knowledge blockchain platform’s native token expands digital asset options for institutional investors.

The integration will allow eligible customers to join the Mina Protocol ecosystem through Copper’s infrastructure.

Targeting institutional investors

Founded in 2018, Copper is a platform that aims to offer institutional investors access and exposure to the digital asset market. The platform provided an MPC wallet and launched its over-the-counter settlement solution, ClearLoop, in 2020.

ClearLoop allows users to manage their digital asset collateral and finalize trades between major crypto exchanges without removing the assets from Copper’s wallet.

According to the London-based company, the addition of MINA staking will enable greater adoption of ZK technology.

“The addition of Copper’s custody solution provides professional and institutional organizations with more options to diversify their crypto involvement with MINA. We also expect it to increase awareness of enterprise use cases for ZK technology, such as zk-KYC credentials that help address compliance without compromising user privacy.”

Kurt Hemecker, CEO of the Mina Foundation

Dmitry Tokarev, co-founder and CEO of Copper, noted that crypto and blockchain are at a “critical moment in terms of institutional adoption.”

Tokarev added that interest was accelerated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s approval of Ethereum ETFs in May and the start of trading in July. As a result, the ecosystem is seeing increased demand for reliable vehicles through which institutional investors can gain exposure to cryptocurrencies.

Copper’s recent partnerships

Copper recently partnered with Hedera (HBAR) to expand institutional access to the proof-of-stake network’s native token. The integration allows investors to leverage Copper Connect and Hedera protocols like SaucerSwap to participate in HBAR and the Hedera Token Service utility.

Copper expanded its custody and staking service to its Internet Computer (ICP) in July.