Ledger

Securing private keys is the central vulnerability in any digital asset holding strategy. Ledger addresses this with hardware wallets that store private keys offline in a Secure Element chip, physically isolated from internet-connected systems. The Ledger Wallet companion app then connects to the hardware device to manage portfolios, execute swaps, stake assets, and interact with decentralised applications, without exposing the keys to online threats.

For a family office with meaningful crypto exposure, the practical case for cold storage hardware is straightforward: exchanges can freeze withdrawals or file for bankruptcy, software wallets are vulnerable to phishing and wallet drains, and hot wallets offer no true ownership of the underlying keys. Ledger’s non-custodial design means the office retains sole control. The current product range includes:

• Ledger Stax, a premium device with a 3.7-inch curved screen
• Ledger Flex, with a 2.8-inch Gorilla Glass display
• Ledger Nano Gen5, a lightweight everyday option
• Ledger Nano Classics, positioned as backup signers

Ledger supports over 15,000 crypto assets including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, XRP, and a range of stablecoins. The Ledger Wallet app, available on mobile and desktop, integrates third-party providers for buying, swapping, staking, and DeFi access. The product is a consumer and prosumer offering with no family-office-specific institutional tier evident from the site. Pricing is per-device, not subscription-based, which limits its positioning for larger institutional deployments requiring multi-user governance, transaction controls, or audit trails. Family offices evaluating Ledger should weigh its strong individual key security against the absence of any enterprise workflow, approval routing, or reporting infrastructure relevant to institutional asset oversight.