DeutschIt is the first major litmus test for the crypto industry in 2026: The infrastructure giant BitGo has dared to jump to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The successful start of trading in the stock sends a clear signal to investors worldwide: The professionalization of crypto can no longer be stopped. While Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have struggled with a sideways movement in recent days, all eyes were on Wall Street today. Under the ticker symbol $BTGO, shares of the crypto custodian BitGo were traded publicly for the first time. The result is a sigh of relief: Despite global macroeconomic uncertainties, the IPO was a complete success.
The debut figures
BitGo, which started in 2013 as a pioneer for multi-signature wallets, was able to fix the issue price of its shares at $18 US dollars – at the upper end of expectations.
- Valuation: At the start of trading, the company reached a market capitalization of over 2 billion US dollars.
- Price development: The stock opened with a significant premium at over USD 22.
- Volume: The high trading volume in the first few hours indicates that not only retail investors, but also institutional funds are accessing the stock.
Infrastructure instead of speculation: Why this IPO is important
Why is the IPO of a custodian so important for the crypto market? BitGo is the equivalent of a vault manufacturer during the gold rush. The company does not speculate on rising prices itself, but secures the assets for others. BitGo’s customers include over 1,500 institutional clients in 50 countries, including exchanges, regulators and some of the world’s largest asset managers. The US government has also used BitGo services in the past to secure confiscated Bitcoin. A successful IPO by BitGo proves that the stock market understands the value of crypto infrastructure. It is a bet on the long-term survival and growth of the asset class, regardless of whether Bitcoin is at 89,000 or 95,000 dollars today or tomorrow.
The 1×1 on BitGo: Who is the crypto guardian?
To understand the importance of the IPO, you need to know: BitGo is not a classic crypto company for end users, but the “operating system” for institutional crypto investors. Here are the most important facts about the company:
- Foundation & Origin: BitGo was founded in 2013 in Palo Alto, California, by Mike Belshe and Ben Davenport. This makes it one of the oldest and most experienced players in the sector.
- The Multi-Sig Pioneer: BitGo is considered the inventor of multi-signature technology (Multi-Sig) for Bitcoin. Several private keys must authorize a transaction before it is executed – a standard that today forms the foundation for the security of institutional wallets.
- Guardian of Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC): BitGo is the central custodian for Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC). This means that for every WBTC token that is used on the Ethereum blockchain (e.g. for DeFi), BitGo physically holds a real Bitcoin secured in its vaults. The company indirectly manages billions in liquidity for the entire DeFi ecosystem.
- Regulation & Trust: The company is not only technologically, but also legally deeply anchored. Among other things, it operates as a state-approved Trust Company in the USA and has licenses in Germany (BaFin) and a presence in Switzerland (Zug).
- The target group: Its customers include over 1,500 institutions in more than 50 countries. These include crypto exchanges, hedge funds and even government agencies that use BitGo to securely store, stake or trade digital assets.
In short: BitGo is the “Fort Knox” of the crypto world. Without companies like BitGo, the entry of banks and large funds into the crypto market would hardly have been technically possible.
The “Halo Effect” for 2026
Analysts at Goldman Sachs see the BitGo listing as a possible “door opener” for further IPOs this year. The pipeline is full. For example, the crypto exchange Kraken also plans to follow BitGo to the stock exchange. And the successful IPO of Circle, the company behind the stablecoin USDC, showed in 2025 how it can be done. BitGo’s success takes the fear out of the market and shows that the compliance hurdles of the US Securities and Exchange Commission SEC can be overcome.
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Conclusion for crypto investors
For investors, the $BTGO share offers a new way to participate in the crypto market without having to hold coins directly (similar to Coinbase or MicroStrategy). For the broader market, the message of today is positive: The bridge between the traditional financial world (Wall Street) and the digital economy is becoming wider and more stable. When companies that secure Bitcoin are celebrated on the NYSE, the risk of a complete crypto ban has effectively fallen to zero.
