What is Self-Custody?

Self-custody means you, and only you, control the private keys to your crypto. There is no company holding your funds, no account to be frozen, and no third party to trust or blame. It is the essence of the non-custodial approach and the source of the phrase “not your keys, not your coins.”

This matters because it offers true ownership and censorship resistance, but it also places full responsibility on you. Security and recovery are entirely in your hands.

Example: instead of leaving crypto on an exchange, you move it to a hardware wallet whose seed phrase only you possess, so no one else can touch the funds.

Safety note: self-custody removes counterparty risk but adds personal responsibility. If you lose your seed phrase, no one can recover your funds, and if you leak it, no one can reverse a theft. Back up your seed securely and offline, consider a hardware wallet and a passphrase for larger amounts, and never enter your seed into any website. The freedom of self-custody comes with the duty of self-protection. Related terms include non-custodial wallet, seed phrase, hardware wallet, and multisig.