“Safeguarding Is a Daily Discipline”: Inside BCB Group’s Client-Fund Protection Strategy

An interview with Chizoba Uzowuru, Safeguarding Director, BCB Group

In digital finance, trust is earned in the details. Institutions moving meaningful capital through payment networks cannot afford uncertainty about where their funds sit, how they are protected, or whether they can access them without delay.

At the centre of that confidence is a practice that still separates serious operators from the rest of the market: safeguarding.

This responsibility sits with Chizoba (Chiz) Uzowuru, BCB Group’s Safeguarding Director. With deep experience in regulated financial environments, she leads the team that ensures client funds are segregated, monitored, and protected across currencies and jurisdictions.

Below, she explains what safeguarding means in practice, why discipline—not slogans—keeps institutions safe, and how BCB prepared early for the FCA’s new safeguarding rules.

Q: What does safeguarding mean at BCB, and why does it matter?

Chiz Uzowuru: Safeguarding, at its simplest, means client money stays client money, always. We ring-fence it, track it, and return it on demand. That’s the promise.

In traditional finance, this discipline is assumed. In digital assets, trust still has to be earned. Safeguarding is how we do that. It’s not a policy on a shelf; it’s a daily practice that protects our clients’ working capital, liquidity plans, and reputation.

Q: How does safeguarding support the wider business and the firms you serve?

Chiz: Our clients run high-velocity businesses. They move funds across regions, pay counterparties, settle trades, and operate across fiat and crypto rails. They can’t hesitate because they’re wondering whether funds will be there.

Safeguarding gives them certainty. It allows them to scale, trade confidently, move capital across markets, and meet their own obligations.

That assurance underpins our role in the institutional digital asset ecosystem.

Q: The FCA will introduce new safeguarding rules in 2026. What do they mean for the industry?

Chiz: The rules bring payment firms closer to banking-style standards. They introduce monthly safeguarding reporting, annual audits for larger firms, daily reconciliations, and formal resolution packs.

It’s a shift from “tell me your balance sheet strength” to “show me your controls.”

It pushes operators to build systems that work in real life, not just on paper. Frankly, this is overdue in parts of the market. Clients deserve proper protection.

Q: BCB implemented these measures early. Why move ahead of the deadline?

Chiz: Because waiting until 2026 wasn’t good enough.

We serve institutions. Their expectations are already high. We wanted to show we could meet these rules, not scramble for compliance when they land. Acting early sends a simple signal: safeguarding isn’t triggered by a government deadline. It’s how we run the business.

We now operate with monthly reporting, independent annual audits, frequent reconciliations, and resolution packs. Those controls are tested, refined, and lived every day.

Q: How do segregated accounts work in practice?

Chiz: Client funds sit in safeguarding accounts at regulated banks. They are never mixed with BCB’s own funds. This structure keeps them outside our balance sheet and ensures they remain accessible, even in stress conditions.

It’s familiar to anyone in traditional finance. We bring the same discipline to digital finance.

Q: What about the trading process? How do you protect funds when money moves at speed?

Chiz: Trading requires movement, so yes, at times, funds move through omnibus accounts. But the controls matter.

Those accounts are monitored minute-by-minute. Balances are reconciled daily. Funds do not linger, they pass through for settlement and return straight to safeguarded accounts.

No shortcuts. No grey areas. Everything is governed, logged, and audited.

Q: What operational controls sit behind this?

Chiz: Layers, not assumptions.

We run:

1. Frequent reconciliations across fiat and trading accounts
2. Real-time monitoring of balances
3. Pre- and post-trade checks
4. Stress-tested processes
5. Strict oversight and escalation paths

If something doesn’t match, the flow stops, and we investigate immediately. We prefer moments of caution over moments of regret.

The system is designed for accuracy first, speed second—and because of that, we deliver both.

Q: How does safeguarding tie into wider risk and compliance at BCB?

Chiz: Safeguarding is not an isolated process; it’s part of our risk culture.

It connects to liquidity planning, treasury governance, vendor oversight, business continuity, cyber resilience, and operational controls.

We work hand in hand with finance, compliance, legal, and operations. Everyone understands that protecting client funds is core to who we are.

When you operate in regulated digital finance, there is no “someone else’s department.” Risk lives everywhere, and we all own it.

Q: What lessons have shaped your approach?

Chiz: Market stress teaches you fast.

The digital asset sector has seen collapses and liquidity crunches. None were caused solely by technology—governance failures and poor controls over client money were to blame.

We take the opposite path: transparency, discipline, no shortcuts.

In volatile periods, our clients’ funds stayed protected, payments flowed, and our operations held firm. That builds trust the right way—by delivering under pressure.

Q: What makes your team unique?

Chiz: Depth of experience and shared responsibility.

We bring backgrounds from banking, compliance, treasury, and financial operations. No ego about who came from where—just a group of specialists who take the obligation seriously.

Safeguarding attracts people who value accuracy, patience, and accountability. It rewards vigilance. And we embrace that. Our clients’ business depends on it.

Q: What developments are you watching in the regulatory landscape?

Chiz: The UK’s new rules, MiCA in Europe, and global moves toward consistent licensing. You can see convergence: same risk, same regulation.

That’s healthy. It levels the playing field and rewards firms that do the work, not just make promises.

Q: How do you see safeguarding evolving in digital finance?

Chiz: It will move from being a compliance requirement to a defining competitive differentiator.

Institutional clients will expect proof—evidence of controls, not claims. Firms that invest early will lead. Those who treat safeguarding as paperwork will fall behind.

Digital assets are maturing. Safeguarding is part of that maturity.

“Safeguarding is how we earn trust, every single day.”

Chiz: Anyone can publish a policy. Trust comes from execution.

Clear segregation. Daily checks. Independent audits. Transparency with clients and regulators.

Safeguarding is not a tagline. It’s a discipline.

If a client needs access to their money today, they get it today. That is the promise—and we’re proud to stand behind it.

Learn more

To explore how BCB protects client funds across fiat and digital assets, or to discuss our safeguarding practices in more detail, contact our team.

Get in touch: https://www.bcbgroup.com/contact-us/