Key Takeaways
- • PCP (Programmable Credit Protocol) announced partnerships with Digital Asset and the Canton Foundation to deploy custody-native lending infrastructure on the Canton Network, enabling institutions to access credit against tokenized assets without moving collateral from regulated custody.
- • The integrated credit layer will support borrowing and lending against tokenized securities, funds, deposits, Canton Coin, Bitcoin (CBTC), and other digital assets, targeting banks, hedge funds, and market makers as primary users.
- • Custody-native architecture preserves regulatory control while improving capital efficiency—a critical capability for institutions managing tokenized Treasury securities, fund shares, and other digital assets on Canton.
- • Zodia Custody is currently the sole custodian participating in the PCP pilot program with the Canton Foundation, establishing first-mover positioning in institutional digital asset lending infrastructure.
- • The partnership was announced during Abu Dhabi Finance Week 2025, positioning Canton as a full financial market infrastructure platform rather than a settlement-only network.
Summary
PCP (Programmable Credit Protocol), a credit orchestration platform for tokenized assets, has formalized partnerships with Digital Asset—the technology company operating the Canton Network—and the Canton Foundation, the network's independent governance body, to launch custody-native credit infrastructure. Announced on April 9, 2026, the collaboration addresses a critical gap in digital asset markets: the ability for institutions to access liquidity and financing without removing collateral from regulated custody environments.
The partnership enables banks, hedge funds, market makers, and other institutional participants to borrow and lend against a diverse range of assets on Canton, including tokenized securities, fund shares, deposits, Canton Coin (the network's native token), and Bitcoin holdings. The custody-native design is architecturally significant—it allows collateral to remain within regulated custody frameworks while simultaneously enabling credit transactions, thereby preserving regulatory control and institutional risk management requirements while improving capital efficiency.
Rico van der Veen, CEO of PCP, framed the initiative as elevating Canton's role in financial infrastructure. "Every asset on Canton should be financeable — not just transferable," he stated, emphasizing that the protocol transforms Canton from a settlement network into comprehensive financial market infrastructure capable of supporting working capital transactions. Melvis Langyintuo, Executive Director of the Canton Foundation, reinforced this perspective, noting that "tokenization alone does not create markets — financing does," and that the custody-native architecture allows assets to function as productive collateral while maintaining control safeguards.
Zodia Custody is currently the sole custodian operational in the PCP pilot program with the Canton Foundation, establishing early institutional positioning in what appears to be an expanding ecosystem. The timing aligns with broader institutional adoption of tokenized assets, including DTCC and Digital Asset's parallel initiative to tokenize U.S. Treasury securities on Canton, and Northern Trust's separate commitment to develop custody capabilities on the platform. The partnership reflects accelerating infrastructure maturation for digital asset financing at institutional scale.
The partnership enables banks, hedge funds, market makers, and other institutional participants to borrow and lend against a diverse range of assets on Canton, including tokenized securities, fund shares, deposits, Canton Coin (the network's native token), and Bitcoin holdings. The custody-native design is architecturally significant—it allows collateral to remain within regulated custody frameworks while simultaneously enabling credit transactions, thereby preserving regulatory control and institutional risk management requirements while improving capital efficiency.
Rico van der Veen, CEO of PCP, framed the initiative as elevating Canton's role in financial infrastructure. "Every asset on Canton should be financeable — not just transferable," he stated, emphasizing that the protocol transforms Canton from a settlement network into comprehensive financial market infrastructure capable of supporting working capital transactions. Melvis Langyintuo, Executive Director of the Canton Foundation, reinforced this perspective, noting that "tokenization alone does not create markets — financing does," and that the custody-native architecture allows assets to function as productive collateral while maintaining control safeguards.
Zodia Custody is currently the sole custodian operational in the PCP pilot program with the Canton Foundation, establishing early institutional positioning in what appears to be an expanding ecosystem. The timing aligns with broader institutional adoption of tokenized assets, including DTCC and Digital Asset's parallel initiative to tokenize U.S. Treasury securities on Canton, and Northern Trust's separate commitment to develop custody capabilities on the platform. The partnership reflects accelerating infrastructure maturation for digital asset financing at institutional scale.
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