How to Move Your Company's Bitcoin From Unchained or Casa to Multi-Institution Custody

Moving company bitcoin from Unchained or Casa to Onramp's Multi-Institution Custody comes down to a few steps: open and verify an Onramp business account, add your team, activate multi-institution custody, send a small test transaction from your current multisig, then move the rest. Afterward, three institutions protect it in a vault in your company's name.

Collaborative custody is a strong way to hold bitcoin, and companies that run it well have put real care into it. This guide is for operating companies, family offices and funds that hold some of the keys to a multisig with Unchained or Casa and want to keep the multisig without managing keys.

Why do businesses move from collaborative custody to Onramp?

Collaborative custody works well for a founder holding alone, or a small team with one operator who knows the setup. The work grows once a team, a board or outside partners are involved:

• Devices and seed phrases have to be stored, updated and checked in more than one location.
• Signing sessions need the right key holders available at the same time.
• Signer changes mean replacing keys whenever a key holder joins, leaves or changes roles.
• Key-person risk: when one person knows how the setup works, that person is the whole plan.

Moving to Onramp's Multi-Institution Custody keeps what drew you to collaborative custody: a 2-of-3 multisig, bitcoin in its own vault that's never pooled with anyone else's, and on-chain verification at any time. What goes away is the device management, the seed phrases, the key ceremonies and the coordination between signers.

The tradeoff is speed. A company that holds enough keys in collaborative custody can move its bitcoin on its own. With Onramp, a withdrawal first goes through your team's approvals: one person starts it, and the people your approval policy requires sign off. Then it goes through the same video verification as every Onramp vault, which usually takes 24 to 48 hours. That time is part of the protection: a request verified by your team and two independent institutions is far harder to rush or impersonate.

What's different with Onramp's Multi-Institution Custody?

Three institutions protect your bitcoin. No one of them can lose it, move it, or use it, and nothing moves without your permission. Onramp, Tetra Trust, and CoinCover each secure a key offline, never on a consumer device, in a 2-of-3 multisig. You never hold a key yourself.

Team approvals and roles. Your team works through its own logins instead of devices, with owner, admin and view-only roles. Set up an approval policy and withdrawals get a second person: one person starts it, another approves it, like a wire.

Continuity. Control follows the ownership structure in your company's verification documents, not one person's device or password. If someone with access leaves or is no longer around, the company keeps control.

A vault in your company's name. Anyone you choose, including your accountant, can verify it on-chain at any time.

How multi-institution custody works has more detail, and Onramp vs Unchained and Onramp vs Casa compare the custody models.

What do you need before you start?

• An Onramp business account. See business accounts.
• Business verification. Our team reviews every business by hand, using documents that show who owns and controls the company. For a company that's the certificate of formation, operating agreement, proof of EIN, proof of good standing and proof of business address. For a trust, it's the trust agreement or declaration of trust, a certificate of trust, and a W-9 (or W-8BEN-E outside the US). It's also what decides who controls the account later. Accounts open in the entity's name. Most companies and entities can open one, including LLCs, corporations, partnerships and trusts, and businesses outside the US can too, though availability can vary by country.
• Your team. Decide who should be an owner, an admin or view-only, and who approves withdrawals. The owner verifies by video, and every other user completes ID verification.
• Your current signers. Plan the move for a time when the key holders and devices your quorum needs are available.

How do you move the bitcoin, step by step?

1. Open the business account and verify the business. Create the account, complete business verification and your own ID verification. Every other owner verifies their ID too. Once the full package is in, our team reviews it in about one business day, so the main variable is how quickly the other owners finish.
2. Add your team. Invite users, choose their roles and set your approvals.
3. Activate multi-institution custody. It's self-serve from your dashboard, and our team can walk you through it. Add a payment method, complete the owner's video verification if it isn't done yet, and accept the terms. Your vault is created in your company's name right away, and you can deposit into it immediately. Withdrawals open once Tetra Trust finishes its business review, about one business day later.
4. Send a small test transaction. In the Onramp dashboard, select Move bitcoin, then Deposit, and your vault address fills in as the destination. Scan the QR code or copy the address, double-check it, and send a small amount from your current multisig. Sign the way your vault requires: with your company's keys, or with your provider cosigning, depending on your quorum.
5. Confirm it arrived. Wait for the transaction to confirm, then find it on a block explorer and in your Onramp dashboard.
6. Move the rest. Once you've seen the test arrive, send the remaining balance, in one transaction or in stages. Onramp's team can walk you through the transfer from any collaborative setup.

What happens to your old setup?

That's your call. You can close the old vault once it's empty, or keep a smaller amount in it alongside Onramp. Both are reasonable.

Before changing anything, check your Onramp vault balance on a block explorer and make sure the old vault shows zero. Don't wipe a device or destroy a backup until then, and never discard a seed phrase for a wallet that still holds bitcoin.

Then check for loose ends. If anyone still sends to an old address, such as an exchange withdrawal or a payout, the bitcoin lands in the old vault, so point those destinations to your Onramp vault. Closing your plan with your current provider follows their terms. Last, update any treasury policy or internal document that describes the old setup.

What does it cost?

• Onramp business accounts: current plans and pricing are on our pricing page.
• The move itself: there is no fee to receive bitcoin into your vault. The only cost is the network fee your current wallet pays when it sends, as with any bitcoin transaction.

FAQ

Do we still hold any keys?

No. Nobody at your company manages hardware wallets, seed phrases, backups, or PINs. Your team controls the account through logins, roles and approvals, and it takes two of three institutions to move the bitcoin.

Can we move only part of our bitcoin?

Yes. You decide how much to move and when. Keeping part of the company's bitcoin in your current setup is a reasonable choice, and Onramp's research on the barbell approach to bitcoin custody makes the case for holding at both ends.

How long does it take?

About two business days to full access. Verification takes about one business day once every owner has finished ID verification. Your vault accepts deposits as soon as you activate it, and withdrawals open about one business day after that. The transfer itself is a standard bitcoin transaction and is done once it confirms on the network. If your provider cosigns, their process sets the timing of that step.

Do we need trading turned on to move our bitcoin?

No. Moving bitcoin into multi-institution custody doesn't require trading. If you also want to buy and sell through Onramp, trading is a separate activation and takes about a week, because our trading partner runs its own review.

What if a signer from our old setup is unavailable?

If a key holder or device from your current quorum is unavailable, the path depends on your current provider's recovery process, so start with their support team. Onramp holds no key to that vault. Once the bitcoin is in your Onramp vault, control follows your company's ownership documents instead of any one person's device.

Can our accountant verify the new vault?

Yes. Your vault is in your company's name and can be verified on-chain at any time, so your accountant, partners or board can see exactly what the company holds. Our SOC 2 Type I report is available through the Trust Center.

Is moving the company's bitcoin to Onramp a taxable event?

Moving bitcoin between wallets the company owns is generally not a sale, so it is not usually taxable on its own. Rules depend on your situation, so confirm with your accountant or tax advisor before a large transfer.