Self-custody

Self-custody is the practice of holding your own crypto assets directly and controlling the private keys yourself. A private key is the secret code that authorizes transactions from a wallet. When you self-custody, you hold that key rather than trusting a company, exchange, or other third party to hold it for you.

With self-custody, no outside party can freeze your funds, block a transaction, or move your assets. You interact with the blockchain on your own terms, often through a software or hardware wallet that stores the keys.

That control comes with responsibility. If you lose your private key or recovery phrase, there is usually no way to reset it and the assets can become permanently inaccessible. If someone else obtains the key, they can move the funds. There is no customer support line to reverse a mistake, so secure backup of the keys matters.