Ship or Die at Accelerate 2025: Sergio Mello - Anchorage Digital

Anchorage Digital unveils groundbreaking tools to enable safe, transparent institutional participation in Solana's DeFi ecosystem, potentially unlocking billions in institutional capital for the network.

Summary

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Sergio Mello, Head of Stablecoins at Anchorage Digital, presented a revolutionary approach to institutional DeFi participation at Accelerate 2025. Anchorage Digital, a financial platform for institutions and innovators in the digital asset space, is leveraging its unique set of regulatory licenses and cutting-edge technology to bridge the gap between traditional finance and decentralized finance (DeFi).

The company's new offering, Porto, is a self-custody app that combines Anchorage's institutional-grade security with the flexibility of personal wallets like Phantom or MetaMask. This innovation allows institutions to interact with DeFi protocols on Solana with the same ease as retail users, while maintaining the security and compliance standards required by regulators.

Mello highlighted the importance of transaction transparency and security in institutional DeFi participation. By combining Solana's smart contract wallet capabilities with Anchorage's proprietary technology, the company is creating a solution that provides full visibility of transaction effects before signing, potentially preventing costly errors like the recent $1.5 billion exchange loss.

This development represents a significant step forward in the institutional adoption of Solana and DeFi, potentially opening the floodgates for billions of dollars in institutional capital to enter the ecosystem safely and compliantly.

Key Points:

Anchorage Digital's Unique Position

Anchorage Digital stands out in the digital asset space due to its comprehensive set of regulatory licenses. The company holds an OCC (Office of the Comptroller of the Currency) license, which specifically allows it to offer custody, trading, staking, and on-chain governance services for institutions. Additionally, Anchorage operates with licenses from Singapore's MPI and New York's DFS, providing a robust regulatory framework for institutional clients.

This regulatory compliance, combined with Anchorage's advanced technology, positions the company as a trusted bridge between traditional financial institutions and the world of decentralized finance. By offering institutional-grade security and compliance, Anchorage is able to address the concerns that have previously held many institutions back from fully engaging with DeFi protocols.

Porto: Bridging Institutional and Retail DeFi Access

Porto, Anchorage Digital's new self-custody app, represents a significant innovation in the institutional DeFi space. This application utilizes the same security and transparency technology that Anchorage offers to its custody clients, but with a crucial difference: users maintain control of their own keys and assets.

This approach effectively democratizes DeFi access for institutions, allowing them to interact with protocols on Solana in much the same way that retail users do with wallets like Phantom or MetaMask. The key advantage is that it maintains the high levels of security and compliance that institutions require, while providing the flexibility and functionality of a retail DeFi wallet.

Porto's development comes at a crucial time, as regulatory clarity is increasing and more institutions are looking to explore the opportunities in DeFi. By providing a secure and compliant gateway, Anchorage is positioning itself to facilitate a potential influx of institutional capital into the Solana ecosystem.

Enhanced Transaction Transparency and Security

One of the most critical innovations presented by Mello is Anchorage's focus on transaction transparency and security. The company is developing an open-source protocol that allows users to fully understand the effects of their transactions before signing them. This feature directly addresses a major pain point in the DeFi space, where the complexity of smart contract interactions can sometimes lead to unexpected and costly outcomes.

Mello referenced a recent incident where a major exchange lost $1.5 billion due to lack of visibility into the effects of a transaction they were signing. Anchorage's solution combines Solana's smart contract wallet capabilities with additional layers of transparency and security. This includes features like ring-fencing specific wallets for certain operations, limiting transactions to specific assets and time frames, and providing clear, understandable previews of transaction outcomes.

This enhanced transparency not only improves security but also builds confidence among institutional users, potentially accelerating adoption of Solana's DeFi ecosystem by large financial players.

Facts + Figures

• Anchorage Digital holds licenses from the OCC, Singapore's MPI, and New York's DFS
• Porto is a new self-custody app that combines institutional-grade security with retail-like DeFi access
• The app uses biometrics and air-gapped HSMs in Anchorage data centers for enhanced security
• A recent incident saw a major exchange lose $1.5 billion due to lack of transaction visibility
• Anchorage is developing an open-source protocol for transaction transparency on Solana
• The solution allows for ring-fencing specific wallets and limiting transactions by asset and time
• Institutions can now potentially trade "billion-dollar clips" safely on Solana using Anchorage's tools

Top quotes

1. "Anchorage Digital is positioned to bridge that gap."
2. "We're combining Anchorage transparency with Solana tools."
3. "We make sure that the user, that the client's transaction has full visibility of the effects of that transaction."
4. "This is what institutions need to come safely to trade billion-dollar clips on Solana and it's possible now with Anchorage Digital."
5. "We're opening up a protocol in open source way that enables the rest of the Solana community to participate."

Questions Answered

What is Anchorage Digital?

Anchorage Digital is a financial platform for institutions and innovators looking to participate safely in digital assets. It offers custody, trading, staking, and on-chain governance services for institutions, backed by regulatory licenses from the OCC, Singapore's MPI, and New York's DFS. Anchorage's unique proposition lies in its ability to provide institutional-grade security and compliance while enabling access to DeFi protocols.

What is Porto and how does it work?

Porto is a self-custody app developed by Anchorage Digital that allows institutions to interact with DeFi protocols on Solana. It combines the security and transparency of Anchorage's custody technology with the flexibility of personal wallets like Phantom or MetaMask. Porto uses biometrics and air-gapped HSMs for enhanced security, while allowing users to maintain control of their own keys and assets.

How does Anchorage Digital improve transaction transparency?

Anchorage is developing an open-source protocol that provides full visibility of transaction effects before signing. This solution combines Solana's smart contract wallet capabilities with additional layers of transparency, allowing users to understand the outcomes of their actions clearly. The system also includes features like ring-fencing specific wallets and limiting transactions by asset and time frame, enhancing overall security and control.

Why is institutional access to DeFi important for Solana?

Institutional access to DeFi on Solana is crucial because it could potentially unlock billions of dollars in capital for the ecosystem. By providing secure, compliant, and transparent tools for institutional participation, Anchorage Digital is helping to bridge the gap between traditional finance and DeFi. This could lead to increased liquidity, more diverse use cases, and accelerated growth for the Solana network.

How does Anchorage Digital's solution prevent costly errors in DeFi transactions?

Anchorage Digital's solution prevents costly errors by providing full visibility of transaction effects before signing. This transparency allows users to understand exactly what will happen when they execute a transaction, reducing the risk of unexpected outcomes. The system also includes features like wallet ring-fencing and transaction limits, which add additional layers of security and control for institutional users.