European crypto broker Bitpanda launches Vision Chain to serve banking sector tokenization needs
The Austria-based cryptocurrency platform Bitpanda has introduced Vision Chain, a specialized Ethereum layer-2 network for tokenized assets targeting financial institutions and fintech companies across the European Union operating under MiCA and MiFID II frameworks.
On Wednesday, the Vienna-based brokerage Bitpanda announced the development of Vision Chain, describing it as an Ethereum layer-2 network specifically engineered to support European financial institutions and fintech firms in issuing and administering tokenized assets through infrastructure built with compatibility for the European Union's Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation (MiCA) and the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) II in mind.
The company is marketing Vision Chain as a specialized layer-2 solution for tokenized assets, merging Optimism's OP Stack technology with institutional-grade custody solutions and compliance infrastructure to enable regulated European entities to tokenize and facilitate trading of conventional assets including stocks, bonds and funds via an Ethereum-based rollup network.
According to Bitpanda, this strategic market positioning, combined with the company's current banking relationships across Germany and Austria, will offer traditional financial institutions a more streamlined path to blockchain adoption compared to developing proprietary infrastructure independently.
The firm is additionally relying on broader macroeconomic projections surrounding asset tokenization. Research firm Mordor Intelligence has forecasted that the global asset tokenization market will expand from approximately $2.08 trillion in 2025 to reach $13.55 trillion by 2030, representing a compound annual growth rate of approximately 45% as an increasing volume of real-world assets (RWAs) transition to blockchain networks.
Tokenization goes from crypto thesis to capital markets agenda
Vision Chain enters a rapidly expanding tokenization landscape that now features prominent market participants like Robinhood alongside established players such as Nasdaq and the New York Stock Exchange, all of which are testing blockchain-powered infrastructure and expanded trading hours to capture greater institutional capital flows.
Just days ago, Nasdaq announced a collaboration with Talos to develop a tokenized collateral platform designed to release more than $35 billion of presently immobilized collateral, while institutional blockchain networks such as Canton are conducting active trials with tokenized US Treasurys, money market funds and additional RWAs for banking institutions and major market infrastructure providers.
Established in Vienna in 2014, Bitpanda reports that it currently provides services to more than seven million users throughout Europe via its investment platform and business-to-business infrastructure solutions.
The firm also positions itself as among Europe's most heavily regulated cryptocurrency enterprises, although an investigation published in January by outlets affiliated with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, citing internal company documents and audit results from Bitpanda's German subsidiary, revealed deficiencies that included information security vulnerabilities and inadequate supervision of outsourced operations.
Cointelegraph reached out to Bitpanda for additional information, but had not received a response by publication.