Pepperstonehas deployed Fireblocks' full digital asset stack to power its Australian spotcrypto exchange, the two firms has confirmed, with the announcement alsoflagging that the broker's crypto product roadmap extends into staking anddecentralized finance.Thedeployment covers MPC custody, transaction policy enforcement, AML and TravelRule compliance, and smart contract execution, according to Fireblocks. It sitsunderneath Pepperstone Crypto, the spot exchange that went livefor Australian clients in February with five tradable assets paired against theAustralian dollar.Infrastructure SplitReframes the "In-House" PitchWhen Pepperstone launched the spot exchange three months ago,Group CEO Tamas Szabo emphasized in-house development as the route tomaintaining oversight of execution, liquidity and security. TheFireblocks disclosure adds nuance. Pepperstone built the exchange wrapper andmatching engine, but the underlying custody, wallets and compliance machineryrun on Fireblocks technology.Thatdistinction matters operationally. Fireblocks now handles client fund safekeeping usingmulti-party computation, with an automated policy engine controllingtransaction approvals at scale. The same stack also drives the broker's AMLmonitoring and Travel Rule reporting through a single API.Fireblockssays its platform secures more than $14 trillion in digital asset transactionsacross 150 blockchains, with Worldpay, BNY, Galaxy and Revolut among itsclients. The vendor has previously integrated with Bitstamp and UAE-based BurjX, among other crypto venues.Hsann AungNaing, head of crypto at Pepperstone, said the breadth shaped infrastructuredecisions, adding that "every transaction must be secure, auditable, andcompliant from the outset."https://t.co/fxYtQC2L9W— Fireblocks (@FireblocksHQ) May 14, 2026Staking and DeFi Signal aWider Product RoadmapThe morenotable disclosure sits a few paragraphs into the joint statement. Fireblockssaid its platform also powers "staking and smart contract execution,extending its product range into DeFi." Neithercapability was part of the February launch, which was limited to spot trades inBitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, USDC and USDT.Thereference to smart contract execution and DeFi points to yield products andon-chain functionality, capabilities that would push Pepperstone Crypto wellbeyond a conventional spot exchange. Thecompanies did not detail when or in what form those services will be availableto Australian clients.Pepperstonehas not previously disclosed staking plans. The signal suggests the brokerintends to compete on product depth, not only price. PepperstoneCrypto entered the market with an aggressive 0.1% flat fee that Szabo describedin April as the opening of a "pricing war" against domesticincumbents.CFD Brokers Turn intoCrypto OperatorsTheFireblocks deal lands as the two largest non-US contract for differencesbrokers reposition around digital assets. IG Group closed its acquisition of Sydney-basedIndependent Reserve in January for an initial enterprise value of A$178million, gaining a regulated APAC platform with 129,400 funded accounts andA$1.7 billion in customer assets.IG, whichbecame the first UK-listed firm to secure an FCA cryptoassetlicence, has since outlined yield and corporate payment products for Independent Reserve acrossSingapore, Australia and the UAE in the second half of 2026. The Australianexchange generated A$35.3 million in revenue in FY25.That leavesIG and Pepperstone running competing crypto operations in Australia alongdifferent paths. IG boughtdistribution and a regulator-approved book, while Pepperstone built a venue ontop of Fireblocks. Both firms run sizable CFD volumes, with Pepperstoneprocessing about US$6 billion in monthly crypto CFD turnover according toSzabo's earlier disclosures.Amy Zhang,head of APAC at Fireblocks, said the deployment pointed to wider crossover."The convergence of traditional finance and digital assets is alreadyunderway," she said in a statement.Thebroker's UK arm posted an 81% jump in net profit to £18 million for the year to June30, 2025, with the wider group employing more than 600 staff. Pepperstonehas not disclosed timing for rolling out Pepperstone Crypto to additionaljurisdictions, though Szabo signaled in April that Australia was the launchmarket only and a wider rollout would follow.This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.