Custody and Off-Exchange Settlement
Off-exchange custody lets eligible collateral stay with a custodian while an exchange recognizes an allocation for trading. The allocation reserves collateral; settlement moves the gains or losses required by the agreement.
Providers and Exchange Routes
Section titled “Providers and Exchange Routes”The custody directory includes Ceffu, Copper, Coinbase Custody, BitGo, Komainu, and Zodia Custody. Read your linked custody account’s eligible_venues to find its allocation destinations.
The API examples show a Ceffu account eligible for Binance and a Copper account eligible for OKX and Bybit. A provider’s presence in the directory does not make every exchange available to every custody account.
Example: Allocate 2,500 USDT to Binance
Section titled “Example: Allocate 2,500 USDT to Binance”| Record | Before Allocation | After Allocation Becomes Active |
|---|---|---|
| Ceffu custody balance | 10,000 USDT | 10,000 USDT |
| Allocated collateral | 0 USDT | 2,500 USDT |
| Unallocated custody balance | 10,000 USDT | 7,500 USDT |
The custody balance remains 10,000 USDT in this example. The 2,500 USDT allocation reserves part of it for Binance. Check Binance’s acknowledged margin before using the allocation to size an order.
Follow the Allocation State
Section titled “Follow the Allocation State”| State | Meaning |
|---|---|
pending |
The allocation request is being processed |
active |
The exchange has acknowledged usable collateral |
releasing |
The allocation is being released; exposure or settlement may still tie up funds |
released |
The release process has completed; reconcile the available custody balance |
rejected |
The allocation failed; read the reason and account eligibility before resubmitting |
Use the allocation record to follow a request and keep its client allocation ID for reconciliation.
Settlement and Withdrawals
Section titled “Settlement and Withdrawals”A settlement record identifies the custodian, exchange, asset, amount, cycle, and status. Positive amounts credit custody; negative amounts debit it. The Copper/OKX example records a completed credit of 125.50 USDT.
Before withdrawing allocated collateral, reduce the exposure that requires it, release the allocation, and reconcile completed settlement against the custody statement. Check the available amount after each step.
Check the Custody Agreement
Section titled “Check the Custody Agreement”Confirm the legal account holder, withdrawal signers, settlement schedule, eligible collateral, and default procedure. For insurance, check the policyholder, covered events, per-event and aggregate limits, and exclusions. Trading losses and exchange defaults may fall outside coverage.
Security and the Risk Disclosure cover custody and counterparty risks.