Summary

  • Apex Group said it has joined the Hedera Governing Council and is reviewing ways to support institutional clients with asset tokenization and payments.
  • Apex Group said it will integrate blockchain into traditional finance operations using compliance-focused tokenization standards such as ERC-3643 and Hedera infrastructure.
  • Apex Group said it is pursuing tokenization infrastructure projects tied to its subsidiary Tokeny, Polygon, the USD1 stablecoin, and ETH and SOL staking exchange-traded products.

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Apex Group, a global financial services firm, has joined the Hedera Governing Council. The company, which provides administration services for $3.5 trillion of assets, is reviewing how to use Hedera to support institutional clients with asset tokenization and payments.

Crypto media outlet The Block reported on Nov. 11 that Apex Group plans to use its role on the Hedera Council to integrate blockchain into traditional finance operations. Its review is focused on applying Hedera infrastructure across the lifecycle of tokenized assets, from post-issuance administration to regulatory compliance and settlement.

Apex Group said broader institutional adoption of tokenization will require not only technology but also a compliance framework. Marco Infuso, Apex Group's head of digital assets for Central Europe, said compliance must be embedded throughout the asset lifecycle for institutional tokenization to scale. He said that is why the firm adopted ERC-3643, a compliance-focused tokenization standard. The company also aims to remove technical complexity so clients can hold traditional and tokenized assets under the same standards.

Apex Group is also building tokenization infrastructure through a subsidiary. Its unit, Tokeny, partnered with Polygon to build a dedicated blockchain for permissioned ERC-3643 tokens. Apex Group is serving as the initial on-chain transfer agent for the network.

The firm has also advanced a pilot project using stablecoins in fund transactions. Working with World Liberty Financial, it applied infrastructure for the dollar-pegged stablecoin USD1 to subscriptions and redemptions of tokenized funds. Earlier, in 2024, it also participated in the launch of Ethereum and Solana staking exchange-traded products on Switzerland's SIX exchange.

Mance Harmon, co-chair of the Hedera Council, said Apex Group brings service experience in private markets and a clear vision for digital assets. Its addition strengthens the council at a key moment as institutional tokenization moves beyond experimentation toward real-world adoption, he added.

YM Lee