Build vs Buy: Choosing the Right Digital Asset Infrastructure

There’s no summer slowdown this year. Digital asset momentum is accelerating—from PSPs integrating stablecoins to banks laying groundwork for tokenized flows.

At Fireblocks, I’m seeing that pace firsthand. And this isn’t a seasonal spike that fades with the weather. It’s a signal of what’s ahead. This fall, Fireblocks’ Chief Strategy Officer, Stephen Richardson, and Chief Legal & Compliance Officer, Jason Allegrante, are leading an expert team to Sibos to meet with financial institutions who aren’t asking if digital assets matter. They’re asking how to make them operational.

That’s the question I began unpacking in my first post, focused on the role of stablecoins in payments and remittances. But infrastructure decisions go deeper. In this follow-up, I’m zooming out to help decision-makers weigh the bigger choice: should we build or buy the foundation for our digital asset operations?

It’s not a technical preference. It’s a strategic decision that impacts how fast you can enter new markets, how confidently you can scale, and how well you can support what’s coming next.

The Case for Building Your Own Infrastructure

For some firms, building in-house feels like the clearest path to control, especially when internal teams want to customize every element of their digital asset operations. This approach can be especially attractive for organizations with unique use cases, a long-term innovation roadmap, or proprietary workflows that aren’t well-served by off-the-shelf platforms. 

This is something I often hear from fintech CTOs—especially those coming from the developer-first world. They want the flexibility to fine-tune architecture for proprietary flows, even if it means taking on more complexity.

Here are the key advantages:

• Customization: Tailor architecture to exact business needs and workflows.
• Proprietary Advantage: Maintain ownership over intellectual property and potentially gain a competitive edge.
• Flexibility: Design systems without vendor limitations.

However, building comes with serious trade-offs:

• High Initial Costs: From engineering talent to security certifications, the upfront investment is steep.
• Extended Timelines: Infrastructure development can take 12–24 months or more.
• Compliance Burden: Regulatory standards evolve quickly; in-house teams must constantly monitor and adapt.
• Operational Risk: Security flaws, downtime, and integration complexity increase vulnerability.

Unless a company has deep digital asset engineering expertise and time to spare, building often becomes a source of operational drag, not a competitive edge.

The Case for Buying Institutional-Grade Infrastructure

Digital asset infrastructure platforms like Fireblocks are built for institutions under pressure to move fast without compromising trust. I’ve seen this firsthand—whether it’s a PSP building into new markets or a bank launching tokenized flows under MiCA.

As a digital asset infrastructure platform, Fireblocks offers comprehensive, turnkey solutions engineered for speed, security, and compliance—essential pillars for any institution operating in the digital asset economy. These platforms are designed to eliminate the friction and fragmentation typically associated with blockchain integration, allowing institutions to focus on core innovation and customer delivery.

The reality? Even the most resource-rich fintechs are opting to buy. The question is less about technical capability and more about time-to-value and resilience. Here’s why more firms are choosing to buy rather than build from scratch:

• Speed to Market: Launch blockchain-based payment services in weeks, not years.
• Enterprise-Grade Security: Leverage battle-tested MPC architecture, SOC 2/ISO certifications, and 24/7 support..
• Compliance at Scale: Built-in support for KYC, AML, and Travel Rule requirements simplifies global operations.
• Scalability: Support for over 65 blockchains and 35 exchanges enables future growth without reengineering.

Buying also means access to:

• Global Liquidity Partners: Integrated connections with major on/off ramps, liquidity providers, and compliance vendors.
• Automated Operations: Streamlined reconciliation, reporting, and governance workflows reduce manual overhead.

The results are impressive. Bridge cut settlement times from 12+ hours to under 90 minutes using Fireblocks’ automation and bulk disbursement flows. With cost efficiencies and reduced operational risk, buying is often the strategic choice for scaling payment operations.

Key Factors to Consider in the Build vs. Buy Decision

Build vs. buy isn’t just an IT decision. It’s a boardroom one, with real implications for speed, risk, and margin. Now that GENIUS has passed into law in the U.S., banks and payment companies aren’t debating whether they need to engage with stablecoins. They’re deciding how to do it—and how fast. According to our 2025 State of Stablecoins report, 41% of institutions say speed is non-negotiable, and 34% say the same for compliance. When that’s the bar, the right path depends on how much control you need, how quickly you want to move, and how high the stakes are if something breaks.

Below are the most critical dimensions to evaluate.

1. Technical Resources
   Do you have the engineering capacity to build and maintain secure, scalable infrastructure?
2. Compliance Requirements
   How critical is adherence to evolving regulations like MiCA, AMLD5, or the Travel Rule?
3. Time-to-Market
   Can your growth strategy afford a 1-2 year build timeline?
4. Security Expectations
   Does your current infrastructure meet institutional-grade security benchmarks?
5. Operational Complexity
   Are you managing multiple chains, assets, and compliance checks?
6. Cost Implications
   Consider TCO: development, hiring, audits, downtime, and future upgrades.
7. Future-Proofing
   Can your solution scale with demand, integrate new use cases, and support innovation?

The Road Ahead: Infrastructure Will Define Your Advantage

At Fireblocks, we’ve worked with over 300 payment companies and banks to help them modernize the way they move and manage digital assets. Across custody, payouts, tokenization, and payment settlement, the throughline is clear: infrastructure determines your ability to scale with confidence.

Today, over 2,200 organizations rely on Fireblocks to secure more than $10 trillion in digital asset transactions. These range from startups to some of the biggest names in the industry, like  Worldpay, BNY Mellon, Galaxy, and Revolut. Our platform supports 100+ blockchains, 35+ exchanges, and over 300 million wallets—powering payment flows across 106 countries, every hour of the day.

We’ve seen what works. We know what stalls growth. And for most institutions, the tipping point isn’t about technical possibility. It’s about operational readiness, regulatory alignment, and the ability to execute at speed.

If stablecoins, tokenized money, or blockchain-based rails are part of your roadmap, now’s the moment to pressure test your infrastructure. Is it built for performance? For compliance? For what your customers will need next?

Let’s talk. Schedule a demo with us today. And if you’re at Sibos 2025 in Frankfurt 29 Sep – 2 October, stop by the Fireblocks stand DISL68 to meet the team, see the platform in action, and talk through your digital asset strategy in person.