France’s Lise Exchange has achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first European platform authorized to trade and settle listed shares entirely on blockchain technology. The approval represents a major advancement in Europe’s regulated digital asset infrastructure, signaling the growing integration of blockchain into mainstream financial markets.
The authorization was jointly granted by France’s financial and banking regulators—the Autorité de contrôle prudentiel et de résolution (ACPR), Banque de France, and the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF). Lise obtained the Distributed Ledger Technology Trading and Settlement System (DLT TSS) license, a framework operating under the supervision of the European Central Bank (ECB) and the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA).
With this approval, Lise Exchange has become the first entity in Europe to merge the functionalities of a Multilateral Trading Facility (MTF) and a Central Securities Depository (CSD) within a blockchain-based structure. The MTF facilitates the matching of buyers and sellers, while the CSD ensures ownership registration of tokenized equities. These digital shares, represented purely as cryptographic records, retain all legal shareholder rights and carry International Securities Identification Numbers (ISINs), ensuring full regulatory recognition.
Bridging Blockchain and Regulation
The timing of Lise’s launch aligns with the accelerating expansion of the tokenized asset market. The 2025 Real-World Asset (RWA) Report indicated a 224% growth in the sector since early 2024, underscoring rapid institutional adoption across various asset categories including government treasuries, credit instruments, and equities. Analysts suggested that Lise’s model could serve as a foundation for integrating tokenized equities within the European Union’s regulated market structure, effectively bridging blockchain innovation with traditional financial oversight.
ESMA’s June 2025 review of the DLT Pilot Regime identified only three active infrastructures at the time—CSD Prague, 21X AG, and 360X AG—highlighting limited adoption of blockchain-based trading systems. The agency recommended reducing entry barriers to attract more major issuers and noted that access to central bank money remains crucial for large-scale expansion. The report also cited Lise and Kriptown as France’s leading DLT-based applicants, emphasizing their advanced progress in meeting European compliance requirements.
Global Movement Toward Tokenized Markets
Industry observers noted that regulatory alignment around tokenization is gaining global momentum. In the United States, the Securities and Exchange Commission recently approved Plume as a registered transfer agent for tokenized securities, establishing a bridge between on-chain shareholder data and the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC). In parallel, Europe has seen growing institutional involvement, with Standard Chartered Bank extending its custody partnership with crypto exchange OKX. This arrangement allows institutions to execute trades while retaining bank-level asset custody, aligning with the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulatory framework.
Meanwhile, Ondo Global Markets has reportedly onboarded more than $300 million in tokenized stocks and exchange-traded funds within a single month, further demonstrating Europe’s expanding real-world-asset (RWA) ecosystem.
Paris at the Forefront of Blockchain Finance
Market analysts believe these developments signal a turning point where blockchain-based financial systems are moving from experimentation to large-scale adoption. For Europe, Lise Exchange’s DLT TSS license positions Paris as a central hub for digital asset innovation, combining blockchain efficiency with the credibility of central-bank oversight.
By enabling real-time trading and settlement on blockchain, Lise has established a model that could reshape the mechanics of capital markets—introducing continuous market access, lower settlement risks, and improved transparency. The exchange’s regulatory approval not only validates blockchain’s role within traditional finance but also reinforces Europe’s ambition to lead in the global shift toward tokenized, always-on markets.