SKN | Citi Advances Real-Time Custody With New Suite Designed for an Always-On Financial System

Key Takeaways:

• Citi has introduced Custody+, a suite of near- and real-time custody solutions aimed at meeting the financial industry’s growing demand for continuous processing and visibility.
• The initiative extends Citi’s broader investment in digital custody infrastructure, data connectivity and automation.
• For sophisticated wealth holders, faster custody infrastructure can improve visibility across complex portfolios while reducing operational friction.
• The development reinforces Citi’s positioning as a global custody provider rather than simply a traditional securities safekeeping institution.

Citi is accelerating the modernization of its custody business with the introduction of Custody+, a suite of near- and real-time solutions designed around an increasingly continuous financial system. The initiative addresses a structural change in institutional finance: markets, payments and portfolio operations increasingly operate beyond conventional banking hours.

For high-net-worth families and globally diversified investors, the significance is less about the technology label and more about the infrastructure supporting assets held across multiple markets. Citi already provides custody, settlement, asset servicing, administration and investment reporting through its global Investor Services platform. Its custody network covers approximately 99.9% of global market capitalization, with more than $31 trillion in assets under custody and administration as of the third quarter of 2025. :

Why Citi Is Moving Custody Toward Real-Time Infrastructure

Traditional custody infrastructure was built around defined processing cycles, settlement windows and reporting schedules. That model is increasingly under pressure as shorter settlement cycles, digitalization and fragmented global markets demand faster information and execution.

Citi’s broader platform already emphasizes event-driven data, API connectivity and on-demand information. Its data services provide governed investment data through APIs and cloud infrastructure, while its execution-to-custody capabilities connect activity across the trade lifecycle.

Custody+ therefore represents an evolution toward infrastructure in which information and operational processes can move closer to the speed of the underlying markets.

What Faster Custody Means for Complex Wealth Structures

For HNWI clients, the practical advantage is potentially greater visibility and control. Families with assets spanning equities, fixed income, funds, private markets and multiple jurisdictions often depend on several custodians, administrators and reporting systems. Delays or inconsistencies between those systems can create unnecessary operational complexity.

Near-real-time custody capabilities can help reduce that friction by providing faster access to transaction information, settlement status and portfolio data. The benefit is particularly relevant when wealth structures involve multiple currencies, jurisdictions and external investment managers.

The Strategic Shift: Custody Is Becoming Data Infrastructure

The more important development is the changing role of the custodian. Safekeeping remains fundamental, but institutional custody is increasingly becoming an information and connectivity layer linking assets, transactions, liquidity and reporting.

Citi’s existing Investor Services platform processes more than 1.3 million custody transactions daily and operates across a broad international network. Its liquidity infrastructure likewise supports near-real-time cash movements across multiple markets.

For globally mobile wealth, the implication is straightforward: the quality of custody increasingly depends not only on where assets are held, but on how quickly and reliably the owner can see, reconcile and control them. For a confidential discussion regarding your cross-border banking and custody structure, contact our senior advisory team.