So safekeeping basically takes two forms. Dematerialized, which is electronic digits being stored on a computer in a certain place, or materialized, which is actually physical instruments being stored. Now, that can range from share certificates or financial instruments to works of art or other important assets such as gold or or other precious metals or even collectible vehicles. Now, securities are registered in a nominee name, which is that of the custodian. The custodian is the legal owner of these assets. However, the underlying investor remains the beneficial owner of these assets. That means they are the owner that benefits from the actual worth of the asset. Now, assets may be held in either segregated or omnibus accounts. While segregation is the separation of activities to make it distinct from those activities of a larger group, it often applies to special treatment to the separated individual or group. Segregation can also involve the separation of items from a larger group as seen in the handling of funds in certain types of accounts. Whereas omnibus is where you have a collection of beneficial owners trading through the same account, and actually the beneficial owner might be masked or hidden from public register. It will just show that this is going through a custodian's omnibus account structure, and it's often used when people are trying to buy shares without that being open to the market. Or if people want to keep some of their assets secret for various different reasons.