Archax CEO Graham Rodford: How Regulation and Tokenization Are Reshaping Digital Markets
Digital assets meet traditional finance—and the collision is creating entirely new market structures.
The Regulatory Revolution
Graham Rodford's Archax stands at the intersection of legacy finance and blockchain innovation. As one of the first FSA-regulated digital securities exchanges, they're proving that compliance and crypto aren't mutually exclusive concepts.
Tokenization's Trillion-Dollar Promise
From real estate to fine art, traditional assets are getting blockchain makeovers. Tokenization isn't just about creating digital twins—it's about unlocking liquidity in markets that have been stagnant for decades. The technology bypasses traditional intermediaries while maintaining regulatory guardrails.
Future Markets Take Shape
Digital markets are evolving beyond simple cryptocurrency trading. Institutional-grade infrastructure, clear regulatory frameworks, and tokenized real-world assets are converging to create what traditional finance promised but never delivered—unless you count creating more paperwork as innovation.
The revolution won't be decentralized—it'll be properly regulated.
Working With the FCA and Building Trust
Securing FCA authorization was a complex process. “The path for traditional regulation was well-defined,” Rodford says. “But we were proposing something new—handling digital securities and assets. It required education on both sides.”
He describes taking the regulator “on the journey,” engaging separate teams overseeing custody, exchanges, and brokerage. “We had to demonstrate how existing rules applied to this new technology. Where the framework didn’t fit, we worked with the FCA to adjust.”
That early regulatory dialogue, Rodford believes, gave Archax a head start as tokenization gained mainstream attention.
Tokenization and the Rise of Onchain Cash
Asked where he sees the most immediate traction, Rodford points to tokenized cash. “Money market funds are taking off because they trade at a stable value and pay yield,” he says.
“Stablecoins showed how powerful cash on-chain could be, but they don’t pay interest. Now we’re seeing the next wave—yield-bearing digital cash,” adds Rodford.
Archax has already tokenized equity and debt instruments with more than half a billion dollars processed through its platform. “We’re working with banks, asset managers, and market infrastructure providers on over 30 projects,” he adds. “Everyone sees that in the future, if two assets are identical, the on-chain one will always be more useful.”
Expanding Through Acquisitions
In July, Archax announced that it is set to acquire Deutsche Digital Assets (DDA), marking its third strategic acquisition in recent months as it accelerates global expansion. The MOVE will strengthen Archax’s regulated footprint across Europe, extending its presence into Germany and France—two of the continent’s most active and influential digital asset markets.
@ArchaxEx enters the US with full SEC and FINRA registrations through its acquisition of Globacap, reinforcing its position in the regulated digital asset space.#Archax #DigitalAssets #Tokenization https://t.co/qGJLGpN0Fe
DDA is a Germany-based issuer of crypto ETPs. “The acquisition helps bridge two worlds,” says Rodford. “Archax brings traditional assets into the digital space, while DDA gives traditional investors regulated access to digital assets.”
He notes that global demand for regulated exposure is growing fast. “The BlackRock Bitcoin ETF was the quickest ever to reach $100 million. That shows mainstream appetite,” he says. “We’ll be creating both passive and active ETPs, expanding access for investors who want to enter digital markets safely.”
Looking ahead, Rodford expects tokenized capital markets to be fully integrated within five years. “Eventually, every major platform will use digital cash to buy and settle tokenized assets 24/7,” he says. “That’s the world Archax is building for.”
