Self-custody
Plain definition. Self-custody means a crypto investor holds the private keys that control their crypto assets themselves, rather than having a service provider store those keys for them.
Technical definition. FINRA explains that crypto assets are entries on a blockchain ledger, so storing and securing them mainly comes down to storing and securing the private keys that control them. Some investors have a custodian store those keys on their behalf, while others “self-custody” by holding the relevant private keys themselves. Investors who self-custody use wallets to store private keys: software wallets on general purpose computers, hardware wallets on separate devices, and paper wallets made from printouts of the keys or QR codes for them. Hot wallets are connected to the internet, and cold wallets are not.
On this site
On this site, Self-custody comes up in How do buying and selling XRP work, and where can people do it?, Where should I keep my XRP: on the exchange or in my own wallet?, What’s the biggest single cause of crypto losses for ordinary people?, What happened with the D’CENT wallet hack, and am I affected? and Do I have to report XRP held on a foreign platform or in self-custody on foreign-property or foreign-account forms?.
Source
Crypto Assets - Buying and Selling | FINRA.org (finra.org), read October 1, 2026.
Pages that cover Self-custody
- How do I limit the personal data that links me to my crypto holdings?
- Is owning an XRP ETF the same as, or safer than, owning XRP?
- Do I have to report XRP held on a foreign platform or in self-custody on foreign-property or foreign-account forms?
- Should I spread my XRP across several exchanges and wallets?
- Which wallet is best for XRP, and how do I choose one without getting a fake or flawed one?
- Where should I keep my XRP: on the exchange or in my own wallet?
- How do buying and selling XRP work, and where can people do it?
- What's the biggest single cause of crypto losses for ordinary people?
- What happened with the D'CENT wallet hack, and am I affected?