Bitcoin February 27, 2026

Citi Launches Bitcoin Integration Infrastructure for Traditional Finance

Citi plans to integrate Bitcoin (BTC) directly into its core banking systems later in 2026. The announcement came from Nisha Surendran, head of digital asset custody development, at the Strategy World conference. Citi’s Bitcoin integration efforts will allow institutional clients to access BTC through the banking giant’s existing platform. Through this, Citi intends to bring Bitcoin into traditional finance.

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Citi’s Bitcoin Integration and Custody Signal a New Era of Institutional Adoption

The system will support Bitcoin custody, wallet infrastructure, and key management. Clients will not handle private keys. Citi will manage everything internally. Bitcoin holdings will sit alongside stocks and other assets. This further removes a major operational barrier for institutions. Surendran said,

“Later this year, Citi will be launching our infrastructure that integrates Bitcoin into traditional finance. We’re starting with core custody and safekeeping capabilities, institutional-grade key management, and wallet infrastructure.”

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It should be noted that Citi already holds about $31 trillion in client assets across its custody network. This makes the firm one of the largest asset service providers in the world.

The timing reflects rising institutional adoption. Data from Coinglass reveals that Bitcoin ETFs in the US crossed $50 billion in inflows. Large investors are no longer testing crypto. They are clearly nosediving into the market.

In addition, Citi also plans on extending its existing reporting and compliance systems to Bitcoin. This includes tax reporting and portfolio tracking. Institutions can monitor crypto exposure the same way they track equities.

A Look Into Citi’s Bitcoin Forecast

The bank’s outlook for Bitcoin highlights growing confidence in the industry. Citi analysts projected towards the end of 2025, Bitcoin could reach $143,000 in 2026. This was the base price. In a more bullish case, the banking giant predicts a $189,000 price target for the king coin. This forecast was set based on the rising ETF demand and improving regulatory clarity.

At press time, Bitcoin was trading at a low of $66,027.49 after enduring a 2.93% drop over the past 24 hours. The asset achieved a peak of $126,198.07 back in October 2025 and is now nearly 50% below this high.