Traditional banks want a piece of crypto. The problem is that actually touching it can be a regulatory headache. Layer-3 network developer Orbs is putting money behind a potential solution, m
Traditional banks want a piece of crypto. The problem is that actually touching it can be a regulatory headache. Layer-3 network developer Orbs is putting money behind a potential solution, making a strategic investment in CRYMBO, a financial infrastructure platform designed to help licensed institutions bring digital asset services to market under their own brands and regulatory frameworks.
For financial institutions looking to enter digital assets, building access to liquidity is only part of the challenge.
When a licensed broker or commercial lender explores public blockchain networks, execution is just one piece of the puzzle. Institutions must also navigate identity verification, compliance, custody, settlement, payments, and reconciliation while meeting regulatory and operational requirements.
These requirements can make the transition into digital assets complex, particularly for institutions that need to maintain established compliance frameworks while introducing new financial services.
CRYMBO approaches the problem by acting as an orchestration layer for digital asset services.
Rather than requiring institutions to integrate each service independently, CRYMBO connects them to more than 75 providers across custody, liquidity, banking rails, payments, identity verification, and transaction monitoring through a single integration. The platform coordinates these services within tailored workflows, giving financial institutions flexibility in their choice of providers.
Crucially, CRYMBO does not hold client funds or private keys. This allows financial institutions to launch digital asset services under their own brands and licenses while retaining control of their customer relationships and regulatory frameworks.
The platform is already live with licensed institutions and has processed more than $2 billion in transaction volume. Its ISO 27001-certified infrastructure is built to support regulatory requirements including the European Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) and the Financial Action Task Force's Travel Rule.
For Orbs, the investment complements its existing focus on decentralized trading and execution infrastructure.
The company develops trading technology through its Layer-3 network, including dSPOT for advanced spot trading, dPERPS for perpetual futures, and Execution Services for decentralized on-chain execution. Its technology has facilitated more than $14 billion in cumulative trading volume.
But institutional adoption requires more than trading capabilities alone. Banks, payment providers, and brokers also need the operational infrastructure to manage identity, compliance, custody, and financial processes around digital asset transactions.
By investing in CRYMBO, Orbs is backing infrastructure that addresses these requirements, complementing its own work on the trading and execution layer. The two companies represent different but interconnected components of the emerging institutional on-chain financial ecosystem.
The crypto industry has spent years developing blockchain networks, liquidity infrastructure, and increasingly sophisticated trading technology. But as traditional financial institutions explore on-chain markets, attention is also turning to the operational systems needed to bring these services into regulated environments.
Orbs CEO Ran Hammer said institutional adoption depends on infrastructure built around the realities of regulated financial services, describing CRYMBO's compliance, identity, and operational capabilities as complementary to Orbs' trading and execution technology.
CRYMBO founder and CEO Eyal Daskal said the investment reflects the maturity of the market and technology, adding that working with Orbs would help CRYMBO scale its business and reach more customers.
Neither company disclosed the financial terms of the investment or provided a valuation for CRYMBO. Even so, the deal highlights a growing focus on the infrastructure connecting decentralized trading technology with the operational requirements of traditional financial institutions. The next phase of institutional crypto adoption may depend as much on the systems operating behind the scenes as on the trading platforms themselves.
