– The groundbreaking digital asset exchange is the first regulated financial market infrastructure worldwide to offer atomic trading and settlement of securities –
Frankfurt, Germany, Sept. 08, 2025 — 21X has announced the launch of its exchange for tokenized cash and securities, signaling a new era for global capital markets. As the world’s first exchange to enable matching and settlement via smart contracts, 21X has set a new global standard for capital markets, overseen by BaFin, Bundesbank, and ESMA.
Supported by industry leaders like Chainlink, Circle, Polygon, and SBI Digital Markets at launch, 21X has created a more efficient and accessible financial market infrastructure using blockchain technology. Other early supporters in the company’s journey toward global tokenized capital markets include ABN Amro, Apex Group, Future Processing, Stellar, and Tradevest. A complete list of partners is available at
This announcement follows the successful opening of 21X’s primary market in May, which featured the listing of the first tokenized note. Today’s secondary market launch is the next logical step towards creating a functional and liquid trading platform within an open ecosystem, positioning 21X at the intersection of decentralized and traditional finance.
Investors can now use stablecoins, other forms of digital cash, and fiat currency to trade tokenized assets on 21X, following the company’s participation in European Central Bank trials. Order matching and settlement occur within two seconds, a significant improvement over traditional settlement times of days or even weeks.
Unlike traditional exchanges and other digital asset platforms – including recently announced projects – 21X provides access to all types of participants, including corporate clients, institutional investors, banks, and financial institutions. This opens up entirely new applications and business opportunities.
The platform ensures that trading activities adhere to the same high standards of security, compliance, and transparency found in traditional financial systems, while also establishing a new benchmark for trust, efficiency, and interoperability in digital finance. Currently operating weekdays from 8am to 5pm CET, 21X plans to expand to 24/7 trading to accommodate the needs of the global industry.
Max J. Heinzle, founder and CEO of 21X, stated: “The launch of 21X represents the ‘Spotify moment’ for capital markets, where on-chain is the new online. For the first time ever, a security trade is settled atomically, peer-to-peer, in real-time, eliminating the need for central securities depositories or clearing services. 21X streamlines capital market workflows and can reduce participant costs by over 50 percent, while enabling wallet-based access – whether in self-custody or through a third party. 21X is a testament to the possibilities when you act quickly and utilize the latest technology.”
He continued: “Today, investors worldwide gain direct access to our blockchain-based exchange, finally delivering on the promise of digital securities – unparalleled transaction speed, reduced risk, disintermediation, accessibility, transparency, and significant cost reductions. We are dismantling the closed systems created by other exchanges that restrict participant access to regulated institutions.”
21X has secured over 30 exchange participant agreements in recent months, with more than 100 financial instruments from leading global issuers in the pipeline. This reflects a growing demand for tokenized securities worldwide. The EU launch marks the beginning of 21X’s global expansion to meet this increasing demand.
Heinzle concluded: “Launching 21X has been a profound honour, and I want to express my sincere gratitude to our entire team for their hard work in making this a reality. The success we have achieved so far is due to the forward-thinking commitment to innovation from our employees, investors, partners, and key regulatory representatives—particularly those at BaFin, Bundesbank, and ESMA.
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Note to Editors
To help understand the context of this press release, here are brief explanations of key terms:
- Blockchain: A blockchain is a type of distributed ledger technology (DLT) that records transactions across many computers, creating a secure, transparent, and immutable record. It is the foundation for digital assets, enabling secure and automated processes.
- Tokenized assets: This involves converting the value of real-world assets (like bonds, funds, or real estate) into a digital token on a blockchain. This allows for fractional ownership, greater liquidity, and simpler, automated management of these assets.
- DLT trading and settlement: This refers to using distributed ledger technology to execute and finalize financial transactions. By operating on-chain, the entire trading and settlement process is streamlined and automated, eliminating the need for expensive and time-consuming intermediaries, and reducing settlement times from days to minutes.
About 21X
21X is a Frankfurt-based financial institution that is revolutionizing capital markets through blockchain technology. On September 8th, 2025, 21X launched the first fully regulated distributed ledger technology trading and settlement system (DLT TSS) in the EU, establishing the company as a leader in the transition from traditional to tokenized asset-based capital markets. 21X enables atomic trading without counterparty or credit risk through smart contract-based issuance, trading, and settlement of tokenized stocks, bonds, and funds.
See the short explainer video on 21X and our blockchain-based exchange
For more information on 21X, contact:
Richie MacTaggart, Head of PR & Marketing
Email :
Mobile : +44 7828173419
Web:
LinkedIn:
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CONTACT: Richie MacTaggart 21X 07828173419 r.mactaggart.ext@21X.eu
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