Ngrave

Ngrave is a Belgian digital asset security company that provides a comprehensive, self-sovereign solution for managing cryptocurrencies. The firm was founded in 2018 by Ruben Merre, Xavier Hendrickx, and Edouard Vanham. The founders' journey began after Hendrickx experienced a significant hack, which fueled their mission to create a highly secure environment for crypto investors. Merre, who serves as the CEO, has a background in scaling an automated investment platform and holds a deep interest in financial empowerment.

Ngrave's core product is a three-part system designed for end-to-end protection of private keys. The suite includes the ZERO, a completely offline, "air-gapped" hardware wallet; GRAPHENE, a durable stainless steel cryptographic puzzle for key backup; and the LIQUID mobile app that facilitates secure transactions via QR codes without exposing private keys. The ZERO device, which resembles a small smartphone with a 4-inch touchscreen, features a fingerprint scanner and camera, and notably avoids connections like USB (except for charging), Bluetooth, or WiFi to eliminate remote attack vectors. It is the first hardware wallet to achieve the EAL7 security certification, a high standard in the financial and blockchain industry.

The company's business model is centered on the sale of its hardware products to cryptocurrency users, ranging from individual retail customers to institutional players seeking enhanced security. Ngrave initially launched with a successful crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo and Kickstarter in 2020, raising $425,000. The company has since raised a total of $6.49 million over several funding rounds, including a $6 million seed round in January 2022 and a Series A in November 2022, with backing from investors such as Binance Labs, Woodstock Fund, and Morningstar Ventures. In January 2026, Ngrave underwent a strategic restructuring after being acquired by a group of long-term investors, including the Lydian Group, with the goal of growing its assets secured from $1.5 billion to $10 billion.

Keywords: digital asset security, hardware wallet, cryptocurrency storage, air-gapped, EAL7 certification, crypto self-custody, offline wallet, private key protection, ZERO wallet, GRAPHENE backup, blockchain security, secure crypto management, Bitcoin security, NFT storage, biometric wallet, QR code transactions, financial empowerment, cryptographic security