Cregis and Huawei Partner to Bring On-Premise Crypto Custody to Institutions

HONG KONG – March 27, 2026 – Digital asset infrastructure provider Cregis has announced the launch of its institutional custody solution, Cregis Nexus, on the Huawei Cloud KooGallery marketplace. The move signals a significant push to provide enterprises with on-premise, fully controlled digital asset management capabilities, leveraging the global reach of one of the world's largest technology firms.

The collaboration makes Cregis Nexus, an institutional-grade custody infrastructure, directly available to organizations seeking to deploy and manage digital asset services within their own secure environments. This addresses a growing demand from financial institutions and large corporations for greater sovereignty over their crypto holdings, moving away from models that rely entirely on third-party custodians.

The Institutional Shift Toward Control and Compliance

The launch arrives as institutional adoption of digital assets is no longer a niche activity but a rapidly expanding strategic imperative. Recent market analysis indicates a sharp increase in the number of hedge funds, asset managers, and corporate treasuries incorporating cryptocurrencies into their portfolios. This influx has exposed a critical need for custody solutions that align with the rigorous risk management and compliance frameworks of traditional finance.

Cregis Nexus is positioned to meet this demand by allowing clients to deploy the core custody system within their own IT infrastructure. This on-premise model is designed to eliminate counterparty risk associated with third-party key management and provide seamless integration with existing enterprise security protocols. For compliance officers and risk managers, this means digital asset operations can be governed by the same internal controls and audit procedures as any other asset class.

The market trend is clear: while third-party custody services remain popular, a growing segment of sophisticated institutions desires a hybrid approach or full self-custody to mitigate risk and maintain direct control. On-premise solutions are becoming a vital option for entities that possess the technical and operational maturity to manage their own security, especially in a landscape where regulatory scrutiny is intensifying.

A Strategic Alliance in the Cloud

This partnership is as much about Huawei's strategic ambitions in the Web3 space as it is about Cregis's product expansion. By featuring Cregis Nexus in its KooGallery, Huawei Cloud is solidifying its role as a foundational infrastructure provider for the next generation of enterprise blockchain applications. Huawei has been transparent about its "Everything as a Service" strategy, aiming to build a comprehensive ecosystem that supports Web3 development on a global scale.

KooGallery acts as a curated marketplace, connecting vetted, enterprise-grade software with Huawei's vast client base across the Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East. For Cregis, this provides an unparalleled distribution channel, dramatically accelerating its ability to reach target institutions. For Huawei, it enriches its portfolio with a specialized, high-demand solution that strengthens its appeal to financial and enterprise clients undergoing digital transformation.

This move is part of a broader pattern of major cloud providers investing heavily in blockchain and digital asset infrastructure. By providing the secure and scalable cloud backbone for solutions like Nexus, tech giants are becoming the new kingmakers, enabling the institutional adoption of what was once a purely retail-driven market. The collaboration will see joint technical teams from both companies providing comprehensive implementation and ongoing support, ensuring stability and compliance for clients.

Advanced Security and Governance for a New Asset Class

At the core of Cregis Nexus is a sophisticated architecture designed to meet the highest security standards. The system is built upon a foundation of bank-grade hardware, utilizing both Hardware Security Modules (HSM) and Trusted Execution Environments (TEE). Compatibility with FIPS 140-certified hardware—a stringent U.S. government standard for cryptographic modules—is a key feature, providing an independently verified layer of security against physical and network-based attacks.

Beyond hardware, Nexus introduces a programmable policy engine that transforms it from a simple digital vault into a dynamic governance platform. This allows institutions to embed their unique business logic, risk parameters, and compliance rules directly into asset management workflows. Every transaction can be subjected to automated checks, multi-tier approval processes, and intelligent risk controls, ensuring that all on-chain activity is pre-authorized and auditable.

The infrastructure also features a unique governance architecture that separates asset operations, technology services, and verification oversight into distinct layers. This modular design not only enhances internal governance flexibility but also prepares institutions for future regulatory developments. As frameworks like the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation come into full effect, the ability to demonstrate robust, auditable, and adaptable controls will be paramount. Cregis Nexus aims to provide this capability out of the box, offering support for diverse use cases ranging from client asset custody and payment processing to institutional clearing and settlement networks. This focus on programmable governance and operational efficiency, including tools for unified asset management and intelligent gas fee optimization, positions the platform to handle the complexities of institutional-scale digital asset operations.