Pepperstone Reveals Staking, DeFi Roadmap in Fireblocks Deal

Pepperstone has deployed Fireblocks' full digital asset stack to power its Australian spot crypto exchange, the two firms has confirmed, with the announcement also flagging that the broker's crypto product roadmap extends into staking and decentralized finance.

The deployment covers MPC custody, transaction policy enforcement, AML and Travel Rule compliance, and smart contract execution, according to Fireblocks.

It sits underneath Pepperstone Crypto, the spot exchange that went live for Australian clients in February with five tradable assets paired against the Australian dollar.

Infrastructure Split Reframes the "In-House" Pitch

When Pepperstone launched the spot exchange three months ago, Group CEO Tamas Szabo emphasized in-house development as the route to maintaining oversight of execution, liquidity and security.

The Fireblocks disclosure adds nuance. Pepperstone built the exchange wrapper and matching engine, but the underlying custody, wallets and compliance machinery run on Fireblocks technology.

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That distinction matters operationally. Fireblocks now handles client fund safekeeping using multi-party computation, with an automated policy engine controlling transaction approvals at scale. The same stack also drives the broker's AML monitoring and Travel Rule reporting through a single API.

Fireblocks says its platform secures more than $14 trillion in digital asset transactions across 150 blockchains, with Worldpay, BNY, Galaxy and Revolut among its clients. The vendor has previously integrated with Bitstamp and UAE-based BurjX, among other crypto venues.

Hsann Aung Naing, head of crypto at Pepperstone, said the breadth shaped infrastructure decisions, adding that "every transaction must be secure, auditable, and compliant from the outset."

https://t.co/fxYtQC2L9W

— Fireblocks (@FireblocksHQ) May 14, 2026

Staking and DeFi Signal a Wider Product Roadmap

The more notable disclosure sits a few paragraphs into the joint statement. Fireblocks said its platform also powers "staking and smart contract execution Execution Execution is the process during which a client submits an order to the brokerage, which consequently executes it resulting in an open position in a given asset. The execution of the order occurs only when it is filled. There is typically a time delay between the placement of the order and the execution which is called latency.In the retail FX space, reliable brokers always strive to deliver best execution to their clients in order to maintain a solid business relationship with them. This is a co Execution is the process during which a client submits an order to the brokerage, which consequently executes it resulting in an open position in a given asset. The execution of the order occurs only when it is filled. There is typically a time delay between the placement of the order and the execution which is called latency.In the retail FX space, reliable brokers always strive to deliver best execution to their clients in order to maintain a solid business relationship with them. This is a co Read this Term, extending its product range into DeFi."

Neither capability was part of the February launch, which was limited to spot trades in Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, USDC and USDT.

The reference to smart contract execution and DeFi points to yield products and on-chain functionality, capabilities that would push Pepperstone Crypto well beyond a conventional spot exchange.

The companies did not detail when or in what form those services will be available to Australian clients.

Pepperstone has not previously disclosed staking plans. The signal suggests the broker intends to compete on product depth, not only price.

Pepperstone Crypto entered the market with an aggressive 0.1% flat fee that Szabo described in April as the opening of a "pricing war" against domestic incumbents.

CFD Brokers Turn into Crypto Operators

The Fireblocks deal lands as the two largest non-US contract for differences brokers reposition around digital assets.

IG Group closed its acquisition Acquisition Acquisition means acquiring or taking possession or the securing of property, services, or abilities. To put it simply, it is the act or process of acquiring or gaining. You can acquire a work of art, you can acquire an ability such as speaking another language, you can acquire a business or shares in a company and you can acquire an accountant's service. For example, you can acquire a new car. In a broad sense, Acquisition can mean the act of taking ownership or possession of something. There Acquisition means acquiring or taking possession or the securing of property, services, or abilities. To put it simply, it is the act or process of acquiring or gaining. You can acquire a work of art, you can acquire an ability such as speaking another language, you can acquire a business or shares in a company and you can acquire an accountant's service. For example, you can acquire a new car. In a broad sense, Acquisition can mean the act of taking ownership or possession of something. There Read this Term of Sydney-based Independent Reserve in January for an initial enterprise value of A$178 million, gaining a regulated APAC platform with 129,400 funded accounts and A$1.7 billion in customer assets.

IG, which became the first UK-listed firm to secure an FCA cryptoasset licence, has since outlined yield and corporate payment products for Independent Reserve across Singapore, Australia and the UAE in the second half of 2026. The Australian exchange generated A$35.3 million in revenue in FY25.

That leaves IG and Pepperstone running competing crypto operations in Australia along different paths.

IG bought distribution and a regulator-approved book, while Pepperstone built a venue on top of Fireblocks. Both firms run sizable CFD volumes, with Pepperstone processing about US$6 billion in monthly crypto CFD turnover according to Szabo'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 already underway," she said in a statement.

The broker's UK arm posted an 81% jump in net profit to £18 million for the year to June 30, 2025, with the wider group employing more than 600 staff.

Pepperstone has not disclosed timing for rolling out Pepperstone Crypto to additional jurisdictions, though Szabo signaled in April that Australia was the launch market only and a wider rollout would follow.