Key Organisations Lead the Way in Expanding Access to Digital Assets

Information current as of 19 February 2026

LSEG to Build a Digital Securities Depository

The London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) has announced that it will build an on-chain settlement capability by creating a digital securities depository (DSD). The DSD will be built as a fully interoperable infrastructure that links existing settlement systems with emerging digital market technologies, supporting multiple blockchain networks, and enabling interaction between traditional and digital securities workflows.

To guide its development, LSEG will assemble a strategic partner group that will provide market feedback and help achieve scale, allowing the DSD to handle issuance, settlement and trading of both digitally native assets and digital representations of traditional securities. Pending regulatory approval, the first deliverable is planned for some time later this year.

LMAX Group Introduces Omnia Exchange

Global cross-asset marketplace, LMAX Group, has unveiled Omnia Exchange, a next‑generation infrastructure layer enabling users to seamlessly convert any asset in real‑time via a single API.

Omnia unifies FX, crypto, stablecoins and other digital assets in one platform, opening up access for businesses to unified wholesale liquidity and pricing, allowing them to move and settle value instantaneously across borders and asset classes. Furthermore, Zodia Custody has announced that it is leveraging LMAX’s Omnia infrastructure for its new Zodia Switch feature that enables institutional clients to initiate asset-to-asset swaps directly from their secure custodial wallet.

Users can:

• Trade any asset directly against any other, 24/7, with no restrictions on size or type.
• Send value across borders as easily as sending a message.
• Access liquidity without limitations, and competitive, real-time pricing.
• Settle on traditional rails or instantly on the blockchain with complete flexibility.

David Mercer, CEO, LMAX Group, said: “By opening access to wholesale FX and digital asset markets globally, we’re removing barriers, reducing friction and unlocking liquidity. Institutions can exchange value as simply as sending a message, creating hyper-efficient capital. It’s a significant addition to the ecosystem and crosses the rubicon between traditional markets and digital marketplaces.”

xStocks Tokenised Equities Begin Trading on Deutsche Börse-Backed 360X

xStocks, one of the most widely adopted tokenised equity standards, backed by Kraken, is now available to trade on 360X, a regulated secondary trading venue for financial instruments backed by Deutsche Börse Group.

From today, Deutsche Börse clients and participants on 360X can trade five xStocks assets – CRCLx, GOOGLx, NVDAx, SPYx, TSLAx – against stablecoins. 360X’s BaFin and ESMA-regulated trading venue plans to expand coverage over time. The launch significantly broadens institutional access to xStocks and further accelerates adoption of the leading token standard globally, by trading volume and unique holders.

Since their inception in May 2025, xStocks have seen rapid uptake, surpassing nearly $20 billion in total trading volume. Each xStock is backed 1:1 by the underlying equity or ETF and held with a licensed custodian in a bankruptcy-remote structure, combining on-chain efficiency with institutional-grade expectations. Interoperable across a range of centralised and decentralised environments, xStocks helps unlock a range of new opportunities for Deutsche Börse Group clients.

“The rapid adoption of xStocks reflects strong global demand for digitally native instruments that provide exposure to established financial markets,” said Mark Greenberg, Global Head of Consumer and VP of Product for xStocks. “Integrating with a leading distribution channel like 360X means Deutsche Börse Group clients can now access one of the most liquid ecosystems for tokenised financial instruments.”

Standard Chartered and B2C2 Partner to Expand Institutional Access to Digital Assets

Standard Chartered and B2C2, a global leader in institutional liquidity for digital assets, have announced a strategic partnership to enhance institutional access to digital asset markets. The collaboration combines Standard Chartered’s global banking infrastructure with B2C2’s deep crypto liquidity across spot and options markets.

Under the agreement, B2C2 will offer its institutional client base, including asset managers, hedge funds, corporates, and family offices, future direct connectivity and liquidity provision to Standard Chartered’s network of banking rails and world-class settlement facilities. The partnership aims to deliver a best-in-class client experience by combining regulated banking services with institutional-grade crypto liquidity.

Institutional adoption of digital assets continues to accelerate across Asia and beyond, driven by growing demand for regulated access to crypto as an emerging asset class. By providing B2C2’s clients with access to Standard Chartered’s banking network, the partnership helps bridge the traditional finance and crypto markets, reducing friction in fiat-to-crypto flows while enabling faster, more reliable settlement.

Euronext Launches New Crypto ETP Segment

Euronext has announced the launch of a new crypto exchange-traded product (ETP) segment for professional investors.

The segment provides professional investors in the Italian market with enhanced access to exchange-traded crypto instruments. All instruments admitted to the new professional segment will trade in euro, and clearing and settlement will occur via Euronext Clearing and Euronext Securities Milan, respectively. The aim of the initiative is to strengthen the European market for digital assets and support the integration of digital assets into the regulated financial ecosystem, while enhancing the Italian market's ability to build crypto exposure.

The official announcement can be found here.

BBVA Joins Banking Consortium to Issue European Stablecoin

BBVA has joined a consortium of eleven major European financial institutions to form a joint venture, Qivalis, to launch a euro-pegged stablecoin.

The aim is to enable faster and cheaper payments, as well as the settlement of digital assets within a regulated environment backed by all the safeguards that a European bank can offer. The commercial launch is slated for the second half of 2026, once the technical and regulatory developments have been completed.

This shared euro-pegged stablecoin enables secure, simultaneous exchange between digital assets and faster, more efficient euro payments between banks. In addition to BBVA, the consortium includes Banca Sella, BNP Paribas, CaixaBank, Danske Bank, DekaBank, DZ BANK, ING, KBC, Raiffeisen Bank International, SEB and UniCredit.

Bank of England Announces Participants in Synchronisation Lab

The Bank of England has announced that 18 organisations have been selected to take part in their Synchronisation Lab – a platform for industry to demonstrate use cases and understand business models for synchronisation. These organisations will be testing a diverse range of use cases, reflecting the depth of interest and commitment across the sector.

The Lab will run from spring 2026, for around six months, allowing participating synchronisation operators to test use cases, demonstrate how they would interact with RT2 and synchronisation users, and to share learnings relevant to the design of a future live service.

As part of Project Meridian, the central bank has previously demonstrated how tokenisation and DLT projects can settle atomically using central bank money, synchronising with the real time gross settlement (RTGS) system.

Boerse Stuttgart Agrees to Merge Crypto Unit with Tradias

German stock exchange operator Boerse Stuttgart is merging its digital assets unit with local crypto trading firm, Tradias.

The combination of Boerse Stuttgart Digital and Tradias is designed to create a fully regulated crypto giant covering the entire value chain of brokerage, trading, custody, staking, and tokenised assets.

"As a reliable and trusted crypto infrastructure partner, we will serve a significant number of leading financial institutions across Europe. In doing so, we want to set the course for further growth and expand our leading position in the digital and crypto business in Europe," said Matthias Voelkel, CEO, Boerse Stuttgart.

CFTC Launches Digital Assets Pilot Program (Update)

The United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) issued No-Action Letter 26-05, which replaced No-Action Letter 25-40, to revise the definition of a payment stablecoin.

Letter 26-05 confirms that national trust banks are permissible issuers of payment stablecoins, thereby removing the interpretative ambiguity that existed before. All other conditions of the no-action position remain unchanged. The CFTC may continue to accept non-security digital assets, including payment stablecoins, as margin collateral and residual interest, subject to the existing risk-management, segregation and haircut requirements.

The official press release can be found here.

Taurus Partners with Blockdaemon to Bring Staking to Institutional Banking

Taurus, a global leader in digital asset infrastructure, and Blockdaemon, a leading US-headquartered institutional-grade crypto infrastructure company, have announced a strategic partnership to integrate Blockdaemon’s institutional-grade staking services into the Taurus digital asset platform.

The partnership enables Taurus’ global banking and institutional clients to access Blockdaemon’s staking services while retaining full control and ownership of their assets through Taurus-PROTECT, Taurus’ custody solution built for banks and regulated financial institutions.

As part of the collaboration, Taurus clients can stake digital assets and earn rewards across major proof-of-stake networks using Blockdaemon’s institutional-grade staking infrastructure, designed for high availability, governance participation, and policy-driven operational controls. This helps regulated institutions meet internal risk, compliance, and operational requirements while participating directly in network consensus

KBC Bank Launches Regulated Crypto Services with Crypto Finance as Partner

KBC Bank is launching regulated crypto trading services for its clients via Bolero, its online investment platform, marking an important step in the evolution of digital investing in Belgium. This makes KBC the first bank in Belgium - and one of the first banks in Europe - to provide retail investors with access to crypto assets within a regulated European framework. The new service enables clients to trade selected crypto assets within a trusted banking environment that adheres to strict regulatory and operational standards.

To support the crypto trading component, KBC has partnered with Crypto Finance, part of Deutsche Börse Group. Crypto Finance provides institutional-grade trading services, acting as principal trading counterparty and ensuring reliable execution and access to liquidity across market conditions.