Bitwise Partners With Lombard on ₱30.06 trillion ($500 billion) Bitcoin Custody

Bitwise Asset Management became the first strategic yield partner in Lombard's Bitcoin Smart Accounts platform, a move aimed at unlocking ₱30.06 trillion ($500 billion) in BTC currently held in regulated custody without requiring asset movement.

The partnership lets institutions and high-net-worth holders generate returns on Bitcoin while preserving existing custody arrangements. Morpho will facilitate stablecoin liquidity for borrowing products within the ecosystem. Lombard co-founder Jacob Phillips said the company saw strong demand for solutions that enable productive Bitcoin deployment after introducing Bitcoin Smart Accounts in February.

Bitwise CEO Hunter Horsley said the partnership helps shape an ecosystem where BTC can function as productive, yield-generating capital while maintaining security and compliance standards. He added that recent sub-$70,000 Bitcoin price levels are attracting institutional interest for accumulation.

Lombard plans to expand custodian partnerships and whitelisted protocol integrations throughout 2026, with Bitwise bringing the credibility and capabilities required to serve this market at scale.

Bitwise launched the world's first crypto index fund in the U.S. in 2017 and has since rolled out the first DeFi index fund, NFT index fund, and centrally-cleared Bitcoin ETP. The company raised ₱4.21 billion ($70 million) in a 2021 Series B round co-led by tech investor Elad Gil, valuing the firm at over ₱30.06 billion ($500 million). Bitcoin Smart Accounts are scheduled to launch in Q2 2026.