Strategic alliance marks watershed moment for institutional DeFi adoption as traditional finance giant commits to blockchain-native fund operations.
Institutional interest in tokenized finance continues to expand, with new players entering the arena to meet demand. The latest headline comes from ZIGChain, a blockchain network purpose-built for wealth generation, which has entered into a strategic alliance with Apex Group, a global financial services provider with more than $3.4 trillion in assets under administration.
The partnership, announced in Dubai in late July, aims to establish what is described as the first fully regulated, on-chain fund ecosystem. It brings together a consortium of traditional and digital finance participants, including Truleum Venture Partners, Tokeny, Disrupt.com, and Zamanat, alongside ZIGChain and Apex Group.
ZIGChain positions itself as a programmable, institutional-grade Layer 1 blockchain that focuses on democratizing investment opportunities for everyone. Designed for tokenized finance, their ecosystem enables an end-to-end value chain, from sourcing yields from real-world assets, a fund tokenization engine to bring these opportunities on-chain, to finally an institutional-ready distribution and compliant retail participation network.
“This institutional blueprint aims to unlock the potential of the global financial market,” said Abdul Rafay Gadit, co-founder of ZIGChain. “Apex Group’s level of reach combined with Tokeny’s compliance infrastructure and Truleum’s regulatory expertise, these elements together on ZIGChain form an institutional foundation for a new era of on-chain financial markets.”
While several blockchains have explored tokenization in recent years, many have focused on asset-level experimentation rather than building fund ecosystems as a whole. ZIGChain’s approach shifts the focus from simply wrapping existing assets to enabling programmable fund structures that operate natively on-chain.
ZIGChain’s alliance with Apex follows the asset administrator’s acquisition of Tokeny, a Luxembourg-based firm known for establishing the ERC-3643 standard for compliant digital asset transfers. By integrating Tokeny’s technology, the partnership will support programmable and compliant fund lifecycle management across jurisdictions.
“This alliance represents a natural extension of Apex Group’s mission to modernize fund infrastructure globally,” said Christiane El Habre, Managing Director of Apex Group Middle East. “We’re proud to support this first-of-its-kind initiative and help implement compliant tokenization across new markets and asset classes.”
The announcement comes amid broader institutional activity in the tokenized funds space. According to a 2024 report by BCG, the tokenization of real-world assets could reach $18 trillion by 2033. Already, firms like BlackRock, JPMorgan, and Franklin Templeton are experimenting with tokenized fund structures, while regulators in Europe and the Gulf have begun to establish clearer licensing frameworks.
Zamanat, one of the founding members of the new on-chain ecosystem, is currently aiming to raise $3 billion in assets using tokenized fund strategies deployed via the ZIGChain framework.
For ZIGChain, the partnership with Apex represents a validation of its strategy in an increasingly crowded market. With institutional-grade infrastructure now live, ZIGChain is entering its execution phase, working closely with partners to bring regulated, tokenized funds to market. The platform’s collaborative approach, combining compliance, fund administration, and distribution under one programmable ecosystem, positions it to serve both global institutions and emerging markets alike.
“We believe the next generation of capital markets infrastructure will be built on-chain — not as a mirror of traditional systems, but as a leap forward in speed, transparency, and efficiency,” said Gadit.
With backing from Disrupt.com, a leading venture builder in the MENA region, ZIGChain is also strategically aligned with the region’s growing interest in tokenized finance. Gulf regulators such as DIFC, ADGM, and VARA have made early moves to license digital asset platforms, and institutions across the region are actively exploring Shariah-compliant frameworks for tokenization to meet demand for such products from faith-aligned investors.
While it remains early days for fully on-chain fund ecosystems, the alliance between ZIGChain and Apex marks a notable attempt to bridge legacy finance with blockchain-native infrastructure. With backing from established players and a clear regulatory focus, ZIGChain is positioning itself as a Layer 1 built for real-world adoption.
