Institutional custody is one of crypto's fastest-growing infrastructure sectors in 2026. Fireblocks and Anchorage are the two dominant players — and their hiring patterns tell very different stories.
Fireblocks: engineering-first, global expansion
Fireblocks has one of the highest raw engineering hiring velocities in the custody sector. Engineering roles are ~65% of open positions, with emphasis on MPC protocol engineering, API platform, and enterprise integrations. Geographic role distribution signals Asia-Pacific and Middle East expansion.
Anchorage: compliance as competitive moat
Anchorage Digital — the only federally chartered digital asset bank in the US — shows a distinctly different profile. Compliance, legal, and regulatory roles account for ~35% of headcount additions. This compliance-heavy hiring is a moat signal: capabilities unchartered competitors can't easily replicate.
Who wins the ETF custody wave
With spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETF custody becoming a major battleground, both companies are hiring at elevated rates. Fireblocks' prime brokerage hires and Anchorage's compliance growth both point to institutional ETF infrastructure buildout. Track both at Fireblocks hiring and Anchorage hiring.