Technology giant IBM has launched a cryptocurrency platform for U.S. institutions, marking one of the company’s strongest efforts to date into digital assets and blockchain infrastructure.
IBM’s new platform will provide cryptocurrency storage and payment services to U.S. businesses and governments by the end of the year, with the aim of simplifying the integration of digital assets into existing financial infrastructure.
A new platform called “Digital Asset Haven” will give institutions direct access to on-chain revenue from decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols across 40 public blockchain networks. It also helps meet the complex token compliance needs of institutions operating on the same platform.
The platform is scheduled to launch as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) product in the fourth quarter of 2025, IBM said in an announcement Monday. It was built in collaboration with Dfns, a cryptocurrency wallet provider.
Adoption of stablecoins and tokenization is driving more institutions to participate in cryptocurrencies
The move reflects broader changes across traditional finance (TradFi), where banks and asset managers are considering tokenization and blockchain-based payment systems.
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IBM says the increased adoption of stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets (RWA) is driving the need for institutional blockchain infrastructure such as Digital Asset Haven.
“Integrating digital assets into core banking and capital markets systems requires the underlying infrastructure to meet the same standards as traditional financial rails,” said Clarice Hargege, CEO of wallet provider Dfns, adding:
“Together with IBM, we have built a beyond-custody platform to orchestrate the complete digital asset ecosystem, paving the way for digital assets to move from pilot programs to production on a global scale.”
Key features of the platform include an integrated framework for governance and policy management, integrated third-party solutions for identity verification and anti-money laundering (AML), revenue generation opportunities and digital asset operations powered by IBM’s secure infrastructure.
According to Binance Research, increasing institutional demand for tokenized products led tokenized stocks to rise 220% in July, in a growth pattern reminiscent of the early DeFi boom, where TVL rose from $1 billion to $100 billion in less than two years from 2020 to 2021.
Blockchain addresses holding tokenized stocks also jumped from 1,600 in June to more than 90,000 in July, indicating growing investor demand for tokenized stocks.
Related: JPMorgan reportedly plans to let customers borrow against Bitcoin and Ether
Chainlink co-founder Sergey Nazarov said at the RWA Summit 2025 in Cannes that blockchain-based compliance tools have the potential to make traditional transactions “10 times faster and cheaper” than traditional systems.
“If you compare the cost of doing a compliant trade in the TradFi world and its complexity, our industry should be able to do it 10 times faster and cheaper,” Nazarov said.
On June 30, Chainlink announced the Automated Compliance Engine (ACE), a modular and standardized framework for managing regulatory compliance, with the aim of unlocking $100 trillion worth of new capital to enter the blockchain economy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbZWNjtyouM
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