AMINA & 21X Launch Regulated Digital Asset Highway in Europe

ZUG, Switzerland & FRANKFURT, Germany – March 09, 2026 – A landmark partnership is set to redefine the architecture of European capital markets, as Swiss-regulated crypto bank AMINA Bank AG has become the first bank to act as a listing sponsor on 21X, the European Union's first fully regulated trading and settlement venue built on distributed ledger technology (DLT).

The collaboration, which integrates technology from onchain issuance specialist Tokeny, creates a complete, end-to-end infrastructure for issuing, managing, and trading tokenized securities. This move signals a pivotal transition for the digital asset industry, moving the tokenization of real-world assets (RWAs) from isolated pilot programs into a scalable, compliant, and institution-ready ecosystem. For institutional investors who have remained on the sidelines, this may be the compliant, liquid pathway they have been waiting for.

Beyond Pilots: A Market Reaches Maturity

For years, the promise of tokenization—turning assets like bonds, equity, or real estate into tradable digital tokens—has been hampered by two critical missing pieces: a lack of regulated secondary markets providing liquidity and a seamless, compliant bridge from traditional asset ownership to onchain distribution. This new three-way partnership directly targets these barriers, assembling what many in the industry see as the complete puzzle.

The timing aligns with a period of explosive growth. The market for real-world assets onchain has ballooned from approximately $5 billion in 2022 and is projected to surpass $38 billion by the end of 2025. Broader industry forecasts are even more ambitious, with firms like Boston Consulting Group projecting the market for tokenized illiquid assets could reach an astonishing $16 trillion by 2030.

"Institutional investors have rightly waited for tokenisation infrastructure that meets their governance and compliance standards," said Myles Harrison, AMINA’s Chief Product Officer. "By partnering with 21X and building on our collaboration with Tokeny, we’ve assembled the complete infrastructure — from banking custody of underlying assets through to onchain issuance and exchange trading. For institutions looking to access tokenised securities, this is the pathway they’ve been waiting for."

This sentiment underscores a broader market shift. The conversation is no longer about if tokenization will happen, but how it will be implemented at scale. By providing a fully regulated framework, the collaboration aims to unlock the next wave of institutional capital previously deterred by regulatory uncertainty and fragmented infrastructure.

The New Financial Plumbing: A Three-Layered Solution

The strength of the offering lies in the integration of three distinct, best-in-class specialists, each handling a critical layer of the digital asset lifecycle. This "financial plumbing" is designed to be both innovative and deeply compliant.

First, AMINA Bank AG provides the foundational layer of institutional-grade banking and custody. As a bank regulated by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) with additional licenses in Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, and the EU, AMINA offers the regulated safekeeping of the underlying traditional assets—be they government bonds, corporate securities, or other financial instruments. It will also act as a listing sponsor, guiding issuers through the complex process of bringing tokenized products to the 21X market.

Second, Tokeny, an Apex Group company, provides the enterprise-grade tokenization technology. At its core is the ERC-3643 standard, an open-source framework for permissioned tokens. This is not just a standard token; it has compliance built directly into its code. It enables automated controls for KYC/AML verification, ensuring only whitelisted, eligible investors can hold or trade the asset, and enforces transfer restrictions such as lock-up periods or jurisdictional rules. This automates compliance, drastically reducing operational risk.

Finally, 21X delivers the crucial secondary market. Licensed by Germany's financial authority BaFin under the EU's DLT Pilot Regime, 21X operates the first fully regulated DLT trading and settlement system (TSS) in the Union. Operating on the Polygon and Stellar blockchains, the platform enables smart contract-based trading and atomic settlement—a process where the exchange of the asset for payment occurs simultaneously and irrevocably. This eliminates counterparty risk and the need for costly intermediaries like central securities depositories (CSDs) and clearing houses, promising significant efficiency gains.

Europe's Regulatory Blueprint Forges Ahead

This development is as much a story about regulatory innovation as it is about technology. Europe, through frameworks like the EU's DLT Pilot Regime and the broader Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation, has actively worked to create legal certainty for the digital asset industry. The licensing of 21X by BaFin, with input from the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), provides a clear, supervised path for DLT-based market infrastructures.

This proactive regulatory stance gives the region a competitive edge. While other jurisdictions grapple with ambiguity, Europe is building a blueprint for compliant innovation. The 21X platform stands as a prime example, distinguishing itself from less-regulated venues and even established competitors. For instance, while Switzerland’s SIX Digital Exchange (SDX) has been a pioneer with its own FINMA-regulated DLT exchange, 21X’s claim as the first to be fully licensed under the EU’s new, bloc-wide DLT Pilot Regime marks a significant milestone for the European single market.

"We are proud to welcome AMINA to the 21X ecosystem as a premier listing sponsor," commented Max J. Heinzle, CEO of 21X. "With our secondary market now fully operational, the addition of a world-class institutional partner like AMINA is a significant milestone. The Swiss bank’s heritage and pioneering work in digital assets provide the exact blend of rigour and innovation required to scale our platform."

The Road Ahead: Unlocking Global Potential

While the AMINA-21X-Tokeny alliance represents a monumental step forward in solving the industry's core challenges, the path to mass adoption of tokenized assets still has hurdles to clear. The very existence of different platforms and blockchains, like the Polygon and Stellar networks used by 21X, highlights the ongoing need for greater interoperability. For tokenization to reach its full potential, assets must be able to move seamlessly across different networks and jurisdictions.

Furthermore, integrating this new DLT-based infrastructure with the decades-old legacy systems that still power most global financial institutions remains a complex and costly endeavor. Finally, while Europe has established a clear framework, global regulatory harmonization is still a distant goal, creating potential friction for cross-border issuance and trading.

Nevertheless, by creating a fully integrated and regulated value chain within the world's largest single market, this partnership does more than just connect three companies. It lays down a foundational track that others are likely to follow, accelerating the transformation of capital markets from analog and fragmented to digital, efficient, and interconnected. The new financial superhighway is officially open for business.