Future of Finance Awards 2026 Winners Gallery
The Future of Finance Awards 2026 brought together the innovators shaping the future of global finance at Plaisterers’ Hall in London on 18 June 2026. Celebrating excellence across digital assets, tokenisation, and market infrastructure, the awards recognised the organisations and individuals driving meaningful change across the financial ecosystem.
The 2026 Winners
All winners by category, award rationales, digital plaques, shareable social cards, and presentation moment photos.
Event Photos
The full gallery from the evening, from the drinks reception through to the awards dinner, organised by moment.
Branding & Assets
Official awards logo and winning badge, ready for press releases, social media, and publication materials.
The 2026 Winners by Category
These awards recognise the organisations that have demonstrated the broadest, deepest, or most consequential impact across the digital assets landscape. They span outstanding all-round performance, landmark innovation, and the programme and institutional leadership that has moved this industry forward most meaningfully over the past year. Last year's Most Groundbreaking Innovation went to the ECB for its Wholesale DLT Settlement Trials, which brought central bank money into live DLT-based securities and repo settlement for the first time at scale. The bar for this year's winners is set accordingly.
Best All-Round
Deutsche Börse
Most Ground Breaking Innovation
The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation
Best Traditional Bank
J.P. Morgan
Best Programme Management for a Major Digital Asset Initiative
EY
Custody sits at the foundation of institutional trust in digital assets. What began as a fragmented landscape of crypto-native providers has matured into a regulated, competitive market where security standards, service breadth, and institutional credibility are table stakes. Three trends define the current moment: the emergence of bank-grade security frameworks across both bank and non-bank custodians; the entry of full-service banks as tokenisation of money and securities becomes the primary growth driver; and a wave of product innovation spanning staking, prime services, off-exchange settlement, and inter-custodian transfer networks. These awards recognise excellence across every dimension of that evolving landscape.
Best Full-Service Custodian Bank Globally
Standard Chartered
Best Full-Service Custodian Bank in Europe
Sygnum Bank
Best Full-Service Custodian Bank in Asia
DBS Bank
Best Full-Service Custodian Bank in North America
State Street
Best Custodian Globally
BitGo
Best Custodian in Europe
Zodia
Best Custodian in Asia
Hex Trust
Best Custodian in North America
BitGo
Most Innovative Custodian
Fireblocks
Best Institutional Custody Innovation: TradFi-Crypto Convergence
Crypto Finance Group
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Best Institutional Custody Innovation: TradFi-Crypto Convergence
Clearstream
Best Digital Asset Custody Technology Provider
Ledger
Best Custodian for Staking
BitGo
Best Custodian for Funds or Stablecoin Reserves
BNY
Best Service Provider for Staking
Blockdaemon
Best Custodian for Stablecoin Coverage
Fireblocks
Best Service Provider for Stablecoin Coverage
Circle
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Best Off-Exchange Settlement Platform
Zodia
Best Off-Exchange Settlement Platform
Standard Chartered
This section covers exchanges and platforms trading tokenised securities and regulated digital assets, not cryptocurrency venues. It remains an early-stage market. Initiatives have emerged across Singapore, Tokyo, the European Union, and the United States, ranging from tokenised equity platforms to alternative trading systems, but none has yet achieved the listings depth or trading volume that would define a mature market. That is about to change. The launch of new trading infrastructure at Nasdaq and NYSE, combined with the DTCC's approval to hold unlimited on-chain positions, means the foundation is now in place. These awards recognise the platforms leading the way into that next phase.
Best Digital Asset Exchange Globally
Nasdaq
Best Digital Asset Exchange in Europe
21X
Best Digital Asset Exchange in Asia
DBS Digital Exchange
Best Digital Asset Exchange in North America
tZero
Most Innovative Digital Asset Exchange
Nasdaq
Best Primary Market Digital Asset Exchange
21X
Best Secondary Market Digital Asset Exchange
BX Digital
Best Emerging Digital Asset Exchange
Axiology
Best Real Estate Digital Asset Platform
BPX
Best Tokenised Listed Equities Platform
Ondo Finance
Best DLT/TSS Trading Facility
21X
Best Settlement and Cash Management Solution
BX Digital
Best Digital Asset Exchange Technology Vendor
Nasdaq
Best Digital Asset Surveillance Services Provider
Check Point Software Technologies
Stablecoins have had their defining year. What was still a contested asset class at the start of 2025 is now core payments and settlement infrastructure, embedded in the rails of global payment networks and held in the treasuries of major financial institutions. MiCA in Europe and the GENIUS Act in the United States have done something important: they have forced the market to distinguish between stablecoins that are genuinely well-reserved, properly licensed, and institutionally deployable, and those that are not. That distinction is now commercially meaningful, and these awards reflect the full breadth of that landscape.
Best Non-Bank Stablecoin Issuer
Paxos
Best Bank Stablecoin Issuer
Ripple
Best Regulated Stablecoin Issuer under GENIUS ACT
Anchorage Digital Bank
Best Regulated Stablecoin Issuer under MiCAR
Circle
Best Stablecoin Reserve Quality and Liquidity
Circle
Best Stablecoin Risk Management Program
Circle
Best Institutional Adoption of Stablecoins
Visa
Most Innovative Retail Stablecoin Payment Use Case
Stripe
Tokenised deposits represent one of the most consequential forms of digital money receiving serious institutional attention, and the distinction from stablecoins matters. The core proposition is an upgrade to existing commercial bank money: preserving the regulatory protections and trust of traditional deposits, while unlocking the programmability and 24/7 availability of blockchain infrastructure. Banks are now issuing tokenised deposits across multiple currencies and jurisdictions, enabling real-time settlement and programmable treasury flows. Landmark pilots are demonstrating that sterling, and commercial bank money more broadly, can operate on public blockchain infrastructure without compromising on safety or compliance. These awards recognise the institutions at the front of that effort.
Best Live Tokenised Deposit Issuer
HSBC
Best Pilot Tokenised Deposit Programme Issuer
Lloyds Bank
The way money moves is changing in ways that would have seemed speculative just a few years ago. Stablecoins have gone from crypto trading instruments to live settlement infrastructure, now embedded in the core rails of networks processing trillions in annual volume. At the corporate level, programmable money is being used to automate FX settlement, trigger payments from real-world manufacturing processes, and replace multi-day clearing cycles that have defined corporate treasury for decades. These awards recognise the organisations leading that transition at both ends of the stack.
Best Digital Payment Network
Visa
Best Enterprise Tokenised Money Payments Use Case
Siemens
Tokenisation in the fund sector has moved from proof-of-concept to live commercial activity. The key areas of development span fund issuers producing and distributing tokenised products, outsourced issuance and tokenisation platforms, fund market infrastructure handling distribution and redemption at scale, fund administrators rebuilding their operating models around on-chain data, and tokenised transfer agency platforms that are fundamentally improving the economics of fund servicing. These awards recognise leadership across each of those layers.
Best Digital Asset Fund Issuer Globally
Franklin Templeton
Best Digital Asset Fund Issuer in Europe
Spiko
Best Digital Asset Fund Issuer in Asia
Franklin Templeton
Best Digital Asset Fund Issuer in North America
WisdomTree
Best Digital Asset Private Equity Fund Issuer
Hamilton Lane
Best Digital Asset Fund Issuance Platform
Securitize
Best Digital Fund Market Infrastructure Globally
Allfunds Blockchain
Best Digital Fund Market Infrastructure in Europe
iZNES
Best Digital Fund Administrator Globally
Apex Group
Best Digital Fund Administrator in Europe
CACEIS
Best Digital Fund Administrator in North America
Apex Group
Best Tokenised Transfer Agent
WisdomTree
Securities markets represent the largest and most systemically significant area of digital asset activity. From post-trade infrastructure handling hundreds of trillions in annual settlement volume, to tokenised bond issuance and digital registrar services, the transformation of capital markets infrastructure is accelerating. These awards recognise the institutions providing the critical foundations for that change, as well as those leading the development of new tokenised securities markets from the ground up.
Best Market Infrastructure in Europe
Clearstream
Best Market Infrastructure in North America
The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation
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Best Digital Asset Registrar
DekaBank
Best Digital Asset Registrar
Cashlink
Best Tokenised Bond Issuer
KfW
Most Innovative Tokenised Equity Issuance
Securitize
Collateral and repo markets are undergoing their most significant structural shift in decades. Trillions of dollars in high-quality assets have long sat idle, trapped by fragmented systems, end-of-day settlement cycles, and the inability to move collateral fluidly across borders in real time. Tokenisation changes that. Over the past two years, the first live platforms have scaled to hundreds of billions in daily volume, and landmark industry experiments have demonstrated that 24/7 cross-border collateral mobility is no longer theoretical. These awards recognise both dimensions: the solutions already operating in production, and the pilots that will define the next generation of market infrastructure.
Best Live Collateral Management Solution
J.P. Morgan
Best Pilot Collateral Management Project
The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation
Best Live Repo Management Solution
Broadridge
Best Pilot Repo Management Project
Digital Asset | Canton
Tokenisation has moved decisively from infrastructure development toward real financial distribution and capital formation. Over the past year the market has seen growing focus on how tokenisation improves access to capital, expands distribution reach, reduces operational friction, and supports new regulated financial products across both public and private markets. Institutions are placing increasing importance on platforms that combine issuance, servicing, banking, custody, and regulatory infrastructure into scalable end-to-end solutions. These awards recognise the institutions and platforms helping shape that evolution.
Best Tokenisation Platform: Capital Markets New Issues
HSBC
Best Tokenisation Platform: Tokenisation as a Service
Zoniqx
Best Tokenisation Platform: Raising Capital for SMEs
Obligate
Best Tokenisation Platform: Development of Fund Distribution
Calastone
Best Digital Bank for DLT-based Products
AMINA Bank
Technology has become one of the defining competitive battlegrounds in financial services as institutional digital asset activity continues to accelerate. 2025 and 2026 have been shaped by a growing convergence between traditional finance and DeFi, a shift away from closed private networks toward interoperability across ecosystems, and an increasing focus on trust, legal certainty, compliance, and institutional-grade risk management. These awards recognise the infrastructure providers enabling that evolution.
Best Oracle Provider
Chainlink
Best On-Chain Monitoring and Threat Detection Solution
Chainalysis
Best Cross-Chain Infrastructure Solution
Wormhole
Best DeFi Access Infrastructure Provider
Fireblocks
Best Financial Services Infrastructure Solution
Zodia
Best Blockchain for Mainstream Financial Services
R3
Best Blockchain for Mainstream Financial Services
Digital Asset | Canton
Best Public Blockchain for TradFi-DeFi Convergence
Solana
Best Blockchain for Financial Market Infrastructure Transformation in Asia
Avalanche
Over the past year, law firms have played a defining role in helping digital assets move further into mainstream finance. With major developments around MiCA, stablecoins, tokenisation, and institutional adoption, legal advisors have become essential in shaping how this industry grows safely and at scale. These awards recognise the firms leading that work: from navigating complex regulatory developments and cross-border structures to helping bring new digital asset products and large-scale institutional mandates to market.
Best Digital Asset Law Firm Globally
Linklaters LLP
Best Digital Asset Law Firm in Europe
CMS
Best Legal Advisor for MiCA-Regulated Stablecoin Issuance
Jones Day
Best Law Firm for Digital Asset Product Structuring Across Jurisdictions
Reed Smith LLP
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Event Photos
Coming soon. Please check back later
Branding & Assets
Official awards logo and winning badge, ready for press releases, social media, and publication materials.
