Definition
Self-Custody
Holding the private keys to your own digital assets yourself, instead of trusting a third-party custodian.
Self-custody means you, not an exchange or bank, hold the cryptographic keys that control your digital assets. The trade-off is absolute: full control and no counterparty risk, but full responsibility — lose the keys and no one can recover them.
Why it matters: “not your keys, not your coins” captures a wider principle — custody is control. Self-custody is sovereignty applied to money, and it demands disciplined backup and risk signal-modelling.
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