UK-based Copper adds custody, staking support for MINA

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

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

The integration will allow eligible clients to participate in the Mina Protocol ecosystem through Copper’s infrastructure.

Targeting institutional investors

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

ClearLoop allows users to manage digital asset collateral and settle trades across major crypto exchanges without moving assets off Copper’s wallet.

According to the London-based company, adding MINA staking allows for increased adoption of ZK technology.

“The addition of Copper’s custody solution gives professional and institutional entities more options to diversify their crypto participation with MINA. We hope that it will also raise awareness of institutional use cases for ZK technology, such as zk-KYC credentials that help address compliance without sacrificing user privacy,”

Kurt Hemecker, chief executive officer of Mina Foundation

Copper co-founder and chief executive Dmitry Tokarev commented that crypto and blockchain are at a “pivotal moment for institutional adoption.”

Tokarev added that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s approval of Ethereum ETFs in May and launch of trading in July has accelerated interest. As a result, the ecosystem is seeing increased demand for reliable tools 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 such as SaucerSwap to participate in the HBAR and Hedera Token Service utility.

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