When Sygnum Bank received its Swiss banking license in 2019, they had the distinction of the being the world’s first regulated crypto bank. That made them pioneers. It also meant they had to build everything from scratch.
In this edition of The Assetizer podcast I sit down with Dominic Lohberger, Sygnum's Chief Product Officer, to explore how traditional financial infrastructure gets reconstructed—not just adapted—for digital assets. It’s an interesting look at the practical challenges of building institutional crypto infrastructure when the rule book hasn't been written yet.
For more on GenTwo see: www.gentwo.com.
For more on our digital assets offering: www.gentwo.com/digital-investors.
For more on Sygnum Bank: www.sygnum.com.
Highlights
The Genesis Problem: Why Sygnum’s founders believed there was need for a regulated crypto bank back in 2017, and how Sygnum worked with Swiss regulators to let them build something that had never existed before.
Infrastructure Reconstruction: How traditional core banking systems had to be rebuilt for assets that can trade directly against each other—a concept that doesn't exist in traditional markets.
The Custody Challenge: Why digital asset custody is fundamentally different from traditional custody, and how one lost private key can mean permanent loss of funds.
Sygnum Protect and the Exchange Risk Solution: How Sygnum solved the systemic risk of exchanges acting as custodians by creating off-exchange custody that still enables direct trading.
The GenTwo Partnership in Practice: Real examples of how institutions can now launch crypto AMCs in weeks rather than months, with in-kind subscriptions and reduced counterparty risk.
Sygnum Connect as Settlement Infrastructure: How Sygnum’s 24/7 internal settlement network enables instant, blockchain-free transfers between clients—creating new possibilities for product structuring.
Why This Time Really Is Different: Dominic’s perspective on institutional adoption, regulatory shifts, and why banks will soon have no choice but to offer digital assets.
Wider Blockchain Adoption: Answering the question of whether crypto mainstreaming could also foster broader adoption of blockchain technology in other sectors.
About Our Guest
Dominic Lohberger is Chief Product Officer at Sygnum Bank, the world's first regulated digital asset bank. After cutting his teeth in derivatives trading at Credit Suisse, he joined the crypto revolution in 2017 at Crypto Finance before becoming one of Sygnum's early employees in 2019. As Head of Trading, he built their institutional trading operation from the ground up, and now oversees the bank's entire product portfolio as CPO. His unique perspective combines deep traditional finance expertise with hands-on experience building regulated crypto infrastructure from scratch.
Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the guest speaker and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policy of Sygnum Bank AG (“Sygnum”). This podcast is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer, solicitation, recommendation, or advice to buy or sell any financial instruments or to engage in any financial services. This podcast may be distributed via third-party platforms and channels beyond Sygnum’s control. Sygnum does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of the information provided and the information might be amended or replaced at any time without prior notice.
