Swiss-based crypto bank AMINA has become the inaugural regulated bank to join 21X, the first fully licensed blockchain-based securities platform operating under the European Union’s DLT Pilot Regime. As a specialist institution in blockchain technology, AMINA is recognized for providing institutional-grade custody and banking infrastructure to international clients. The partnership is seen as a significant milestone in bridging traditional finance with regulated digital asset ecosystems in Europe.
21X’s Technological Backbone
Established in line with European Union regulations, 21X operates as a trading and settlement system powered by distributed ledger technology (DLT). The DLT Pilot Regime was introduced to allow real-world testing of blockchain-based financial market infrastructures under strict regulatory oversight, helping the sector move forward with greater clarity and compliance. Built on Polygon and Stellar blockchains, the platform integrates smart contract-enabled settlement infrastructure through collaborators such as Chainlink, Circle, and SBI Digital Markets, while Tokeny handles the issuance layer. With AMINA serving as the primary gateway for custody, banking, and asset management, both government bonds and corporate securities are now directly supported by an institutional infrastructure.
A Turning Point in Institutional Participation
A key technical innovation of the platform is atomic settlement, which enables simultaneous transfer of securities and payment within a single transaction. This offers a stark contrast to traditional systems, where settlement may take two business days and exposes parties to counterparty risk. By eliminating this risk, institutional investors benefit from a new standard of security and speed when accessing financial instruments through 21X.
Recent data suggests that tokenized public shares and US Treasury bonds traded on the platform have seen a steady increase in user adoption. However, industry experts highlight interoperability as the main barrier to broader institutional engagement. The complex process of transferring assets across different blockchains hampers the creation of deep liquidity pools, limiting the scale of participation by major financial institutions.
With AMINA’s onboarding as a listing sponsor, the platform enables traditional investment assets to be securely held and seamlessly traded via blockchain infrastructure through a single regulated bank. This integrated model removes the need for institutions to juggle multiple custodians and compliance routines. Streamlining issuance, custody, and secondary market activities under one roof, 21X has significantly simplified the integration process for its institutional users.
In addition, the adoption of the ERC-3643 standard allows the platform to automate investor eligibility checks, transfer restrictions, and regulatory reporting via smart contracts. As a result, regulatory obligations are handled automatically within transactions, reducing operational burdens—especially for larger institutions dealing with complex compliance requirements.
Market Dynamics and Recent Developments
The total value of tokenized real-world assets is projected to approach $26.5 billion by early 2026. While this figure is growing steadily, it remains modest in comparison to traditional markets. Noteworthy recent developments include a partnership between Nasdaq and Kraken to open tokenized equities to retail clients, and Aon’s pilot for stablecoin-based insurance payments. In this landscape, AMINA’s participation in 21X stands out as a notable example of regulated banking infrastructure becoming operational on-chain within Europe.
Industry observers note that the latest series of initiatives highlights continued regulatory compliance and infrastructure development as primary priorities for fostering a scalable tokenization ecosystem. The future trajectory of the market will depend on effective solutions for interoperability and streamlined custody processes, which remain essential hurdles to unlocking broader adoption.
