Core Launches Institutional Bitcoin Staking Across APAC MENA

Core Foundation and Hex Trust have expanded their partnership to offer institutional Bitcoin staking services across the Asia-Pacific and MENA regions.

The collaboration combines Core’s Dual Staking technology with Hex Trust’s regulated custody platform. Core provides Bitcoin staking services, and Hext Trust is an institutional crypto custody service in Hong Kong.

Institutional Appeal: Yield with Compliance

Banks, family offices, and institutional investors can timelock Bitcoin to support the Core network. At the same time, they can maintain full custody and earn protocol rewards. By integrating Core’s staking technology within Hex Trust accounts, clients can stake BTC, CORE, or both without transferring assets to unregulated platforms.

The value is clear for institutions: earn yield on idle Bitcoin while staying compliant and keeping custody secure. Rewards are issued from blockchain activity, not opaque off-chain programs.

Core is positioning itself as a leading Bitcoin-focused DeFi ecosystem. It bridges Bitcoin security with EVM-compatible programmability. Recent data shows that over $500 million in total DeFi value is locked, over 7,000 timelocked BTC is securing the network, and roughly 75% of Bitcoin mining hash power is backing it. These figures highlight why custodians and institutions are paying attention.

With its regulatory footing in APAC and MENA, Hex Trust says the integration could drive larger, compliant flows into BTCFi, or decentralized finance built on Bitcoin security. Asset managers can use time-locked Bitcoin as a regulated source of yield while preserving custody relationships.

Analysts say the key challenge will be scale and operational controls. Institutions demand predictable rewards, clear custody separation, and strong accounting before allocating significant Bitcoin. By combining Core’s yield layer with Hex Trust’s compliance infrastructure, this partnership may shift institutional Bitcoin engagement from passive holding to active, yield-focused strategies. Security and regulatory comfort remain central to adoption.