IBM Digital Asset Haven - A New Era for Digital Asset Infrastructure 

The Enterprise-Grade Digital Assets Stack on IBM LinuxONE

Marcel Mitran, IBM Fellow, CTO, LinuxONE and Cloud Platform

Anbazhagan Mani, IBM Distinguished Engineer & Master Inventor, Confidential Computing and Digital Assets

Digital assets are providing a leap forward in improved efficiency, transparency, and accessibility to the financial landscape.  For instance, digital-asset based cross boarder payments can move at the speed of the internet while also significantly reducing cost when compared to traditional payment systems.  Such a dramatic improvement in capital efficiency is broadly disrupting existing business practices and financial instruments.  As such, many financial institutions have been experimenting with digital asset solutions in an effort to hedge disruption. 

Digital Assets is a broad term, for this discussion, we will focus on the class of Digital Assets which includes Cryptocurrencies, Stablecoins and Tokenized Assets.  These digital assets are stores of value or medium of exchange whose ownership and authenticity is secured by cryptography and generally recorded on a distributed ledger (like a blockchain). 

Digital assets are now moving from experimentation to production-grade adoption. Banks, Fintechs, asset managers, central banks, and governments are now evaluating how to issue, custody, transact, and govern tokenized assets on secure and compliant infrastructure.  Yet the challenge is clear: blockchain-native systems were not designed with enterprise governance, regulatory oversight, or extreme security in mind. And traditional banking and payment infrastructure was never designed to handle crypto-based keys, MPC signing, multi-chain workflows, or zero-trust transaction orchestration.

To bridge this gap, IBM has introduced IBM Digital Asset Haven, a full-stack platform for institutional digital asset operations — powered jointly by DFNS and IBM LinuxONE.

Digital assets introduce risks that do not exist in traditional systems:

·      Private keys = asset ownership. If stolen, assets are gone. If lost, assets are gone.

·      Everything is irreversible. No “rollback,” no dispute resolution, no central authority.

·      Blockchains are global. A breach is instantly visible across the world.

·      Regulators require traceability, access governance, and segregation of duties.

·      Attack surface expands: smart contracts, MPC nodes, APIs, wallets, and multi-cloud topologies.

Institutions are quickly realizing that custody, governance, secure enclaves, key management, access control, approvals, and audit trails need to be integrated and handled flawlessly. This is why IBM Digital Asset Haven matters and is uniquely differentiated.   To enable customers to quickly onboard and get started – Haven provides

1.    cloud-hosted solution including a trial environment

2.    a hybrid solution where the security layer (Governance, Policies, Transactions signing and approvals) is deployed on IBM LinuxONE and core layer runs on cloud

3.    fully on-premises solution with IBM LinuxONE (in future roadmap as described in the announcement blog)

Digital Asset Haven: The right architecture for the enterprise

IBM LinuxONE: The Most Secure Enterprise Computing Platform

The foundation of IBM Digital Asset Haven's security differentiation lies in IBM LinuxONE – the most securable enterprise platform.

Security Certifications

•       EAL5+ Certification: LinuxONE is the enterprise data-serving platform with EAL5+ (Evaluation Assurance Level 5+) certification. This certification verifies the separation of logical partitions (LPARs), ensuring complete isolation between workloads.

•       FIPS 140-2 Level 4: The IBM Crypto Express 8S Hardware Security Modules (HSMs) embedded in LinuxONE achieve FIPS 140-2 Level 4—the highest security level defined by this standard.

•       Quantum-Safe Cryptography: With the latest generation of LinuxONE systems, quantum-safe encryption algorithms like ML-KEM and ML-DSA are made available, preparing institutions for the post-quantum cryptographic era.

IBM Hyper Protect Platform: Confidential Computing at scale

IBM Hyper Protect Virtual Servers (HPVS) deliver a confidential computing environment that represents a paradigm shift in data protection. Leveraging IBM Secure Execution for Linux, HPVS provides what IBM calls "technical assurance"—a fundamentally different approach to security.

Technical Assurance vs. Operational Assurance

Operational Assurance relies on trust—policies, procedures, and human compliance. It's breakable because it depends on people acting correctly.

Technical Assurance is fundamentally different. Security features are ingrained in the technology itself, making it technically impossible for unauthorized access or changes to occur—even from system administrators, cloud operators, or privileged insiders. Data remains secured always, without trusting any person or organization.

How HPVS Delivers Technical Assurance

•       Data Protection at all stages: HPVS protects data at-rest, in-transit, and crucially, in-use through confidential computing. Even during processing, sensitive data remains encrypted and isolated.

•       Zero-Knowledge Deployment: Administrators can validate application origin and integrity using encrypted contracts and attestation—without ever accessing the sensitive data or code.

•       Insider Threat Elimination: Operations teams can manage workloads without accessing sensitive data, fundamentally eliminating insider risk rather than merely mitigating it.

•       Tamper-Proof Environment: Even System administrators cannot access the environment and data—a critical differentiator for institutions concerned about service provider or administrator level access.

Holistic Security and Key Management Architecture

Zero Trust Architecture

The platform enforces end-to-end data integrity through a Zero Trust architecture. No single device, system, or user can move assets alone. Every operation requires verification, and every action is logged and auditable.

Flexible Cryptographic Models

Through its Key Deployment Service (KDS), IBM Digital Asset Haven supports multiple cryptographic models, allowing institutions to select the approach that best matches their risk profile:

•       Multi-Party Computation (MPC): Distributed signing that eliminates single points of failure

•       HSM-Based Signing: Hardware-enforced key protection via IBM Crypto Express 8S HSMs

•       Confidential Computing Environments: HPVS and Secure Execution for Linux providing additional isolation layers

IBM Offline Signing Orchestrator (OSO)

For the most sensitive assets, IBM Digital Asset Haven integrates the IBM Offline Signing Orchestrator—enabling automated cold storage operations through a policy-based system that creates a digital air gap between online and offline signing environments. This feature addresses regulatory requirements in an increasing number of jurisdictions that mandate cold storage for digital asset custody.

OSO uses three isolated partitions on LinuxONE that communicate through secure channels without direct internet connectivity—providing the security of air-gapped cold storage with the operational efficiency of automated policy-driven signing.

For more information regarding OSO integration with IBM Digital Asset Haven, please read this blog.

IBM’s partnership with Dfns brings holistic, enterprise-class digital asset operating platform

1.   Muti-Chain Support

Banks don't want 40 blockchain drivers or RPC nodes internally. Haven with Dfns stack integration consolidates everything into one unified API + governance engine.

1.    Multi-Chain Support (40+ blockchains) -  multi-chain support is not just being able to broadcast a transaction, but also means wallet generation using the correct curve/crypto for each chain.

2.    MPC/HSM signing logic per chain - Not all blockchains sign transactions the same way. Haven abstracts each chain's serialization, hashing, and signing logic so customers never need to write chain-specific crypto code.

3.    Transaction encoding, nonce management & gas/fee calculation and Blockchain state monitoring (confirmations, failed transactions).

2.   Wallet Lifecycle Management

In simple crypto apps, a wallet is just a private key. In Institutional infrastructure, a wallet has a lifecycle, and every phase must be governed, logged, and compliant. Haven delivers a complete wallet lifecycle management. 

3.   Governance & Policy Enforcement

This is one of the key differentiation between Haven and other crypto wallets.  Governance ensures “who can do what, when, how, under what conditions” — enforced cryptographically, not just operationally.

This includes Role based Access Control, Multi-person approval, policy-based transaction routing and other capabilities combined with infrastructure level security including isolation of policy engines, hardware bound attestation and immutable logs.

4.   Cold, Warm & Hot Signing Configurations

Digital Asset Haven supports all three models, and more importantly, mixed-signing workflows.

Hot wallets

·       Online signing via MPC/HSM

·       Useful for high-frequency payments, market making

Warm wallets

·       Signing requires partial online participants + delayed approval

·       Best for enterprise treasury operations

·       Example: MPC shares online + key quorum that triggers via separate network segment

Cold wallets

·       Offline signing orchestrated via “air-gapped MPC participants”

·       IBM supports offline HSM modules and transaction approval flow via Offline Signing Orchestrator (OSO).

·       Ideal for long-term storage or regulated custodians

5.   Settlement & Transaction Routing

This is a full transaction lifecycle engine. It includes Pre-transaction checks (compliance, Anti Money Laundering), Transaction construction, Routing(including retry logic), Settlement(updating ledger state and posting to internal systems) and Post-settlement compliance. This turns blockchain transactions into regulated financial system transactions.

6.   Integration with KYC/AML, Trading & Payments Partners

Digital Asset Haven is not a closed ecosystem, its API first design principle enables an integration platform.

Haven provides plugins for:

·      KYC / AML Providers

·      Trading / Liquidity Providers

·      Payments Networks

·      Custody & Portfolio Management Systems

Banks don’t want a crypto stack that lives in a silo. Haven allows digital assets to plug into: existing AML, KYC, treasury, settlement, and risk systems just like traditional financial instruments.

Why This Is a Differentiated Security Offering

IBM Digital Asset Haven's security differentiation stems from its design and architecture. Here's why it stands apart from competing solutions:

•       Hardware-Rooted Security: While most digital asset platforms rely on software-based security controls, IBM Digital Asset Haven's security is rooted in specialized hardware—IBM LinuxONE systems with dedicated cryptographic processors and physically tamper-resistant HSMs.

•       Confidential Computing: The ability to protect data in-use—not just at-rest and in-transit—represents a fundamental advancement. Competitors cannot match HPVS's technical assurance that even cloud administrators cannot access sensitive data.

•       Proven Enterprise Track Record: IBM works with hundreds of largest banks worldwide. The same infrastructure with IBM Z and LinuxONE that secures the world's most critical financial transactions now secures digital assets.

•       Full Stack Protection: Security spans hardware, virtualization, and container layers—a full stack of protection with no compromise on performance, resiliency, or availability. IBM LinuxONE offers up to eight 9s (99.999999%) of availability.

•       No Vendor Lock-In: Institutions can bring their own keys using HSMs, and can deploy in various environments (SaaS, hybrid, or on-premises) based on their sovereignty and security requirements.

Enterprise Use Cases

IBM Digital Asset Haven addresses the full spectrum of institutional digital asset operations:

•       Digital Asset Custody: Secure storage and management of digital assets with institutional-grade controls

•       Tokenization Programs: Infrastructure for issuing and managing tokenized securities, real-world assets, and stablecoins

•       Payment Systems: High-throughput transaction processing for blockchain-based payment rails

•       Trading Operations: Sub-second signing and execution for trading desks and market makers

•       Settlement Infrastructure: Automated settlement across multiple blockchain networks

Conclusion: The Institutional Standard for Digital Assets

Blockchains are no longer just for startups or early innovators—they're entering the mainstream and becoming part of the global technology infrastructure that powers the digital world. For institutions ready to enter the digital asset economy with enterprise-grade security and compliance, IBM Digital Asset Haven provides the trusted foundation that these institutions are waiting for. Get started today! 

Learn More

•       Product Announcement: https://newsroom.ibm.com/ibm-digital-asset-haven

•       IBM Digital Asset Haven with Offline Signing Orchestrator: https://community.ibm.com/community/user/blogs/divya-k-konoor1/2025/12/09/ibm-digital-asset-haven-with-oso

•       IBM Digital Asset Haven: www.ibm.com/products/digital-asset-haven

•       IBM Hyper Protect Platform: www.ibm.com/products/hyper-protect

•       Dfns: www.dfns.co

•       Dfns blog: https://www.dfns.co/article/why-ibm

•       Futurum Research(Analyst Report): https://futurumgroup.com/research-reports/efficiency-innovation-ibm-linuxone-for-modern-workloads/