Standard Chartered-Backed Tokenization Platform Libeara Secures Provisional Regulatory Approval in Singapore

Singapore just greenlit the future of finance—and banking giant Standard Chartered is leading the charge.

Libeara, the tokenization platform backed by the financial heavyweight, just secured provisional regulatory approval from the Monetary Authority of Singapore. That means one thing: real-world assets are going on-chain, and they’re doing it with institutional muscle.

Why This Matters

Tokenization isn’t some niche crypto trend anymore—it’s becoming the backbone of next-gen finance. Think bonds, funds, even private equity, all digitized and traded on blockchain rails. Faster settlements, lower costs, global liquidity. Libeara’s move signals that even traditional finance is tired of waiting for legacy systems to catch up.

Singapore’s Regulatory Play

MAS isn’t just watching; they’re building. By granting provisional approval, they’re positioning Singapore as the go-to hub for compliant digital asset innovation. It’s a smart move—attract capital, talent, and infrastructure while others are still debating regulation.

But let’s be real: it’s also a classic finance move. Create a sandbox, let the big players test safely, and pretend it’s all about ‘innovation’ while keeping the little guys on the sidelines. Because nothing says decentralization like a provisional license from a central authority.

Bottom line: Tokenization is here, and it’s bringing Wall Street with it. Whether that’s a good thing depends on how much you trust banks to disrupt themselves.

Tokenization platform Libeara has received in-principle approval from Singapore's Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) for a Capital Markets Services license, marking a key regulatory milestone for the Standard Chartered-incubated venture.

The approval will enable Libeara to offer institutional clients access to tokenized capital markets products once the full licensing process is complete. The platform, which operates under SC Ventures by Standard Chartered's incubation program, has been developing regulated digital asset solutions for institutional markets.

"This in-principle approval is a strong vote of confidence in our vision and operational readiness," founder and CEO Aaron Gwak said in a statement released Thursday. He added that the approval brings the company closer to delivering regulated digital asset solutions that meet institutional needs while maintaining traditional financial market standards.

Libeara has previously worked on tokenized treasury strategies with institutional partners and supported pilot projects with public sector entities across Asia and Africa, according to the company. The platform represents part of Standard Chartered's broader innovation strategy through its SC Ventures arm, which builds and invests in financial technology ventures.

Margaret Harwood-Jones, Standard Chartered's global head of financing and securities services, characterized tokenization as "a key enabler of financial market infrastructure evolution" and highlighted SC Ventures' commitment to bringing real-world assets into digital markets through regulated channels.