The Next Big Thing! US banks have their sights set on the trillion-dollar tokenization market – pioneer Finexity in pole position! Commerzbank and Deutsche Bank left behind?

Finexity – Pioneer in the field of tokenized real assets

The Hamburg-based company Finexity has set itself the goal of establishing itself as a major provider of trading and settlement platforms for digital assets and "playing a leading role in shaping this market." Using a proprietary OTC trading infrastructure, the Company already connects more than 50 issuers of tokenized private market investments with six trading partners and over 84,000 registered investors. Its trading partners include independent investment brokers, asset managers, savings banks, and cooperative banks.

Private markets are markets for assets that are not traded on stock exchanges. Well-known categories include private equity, private credit, real estate, infrastructure, renewable energy, and collectibles. With its strategic approach, Finexity not only operates a highly scalable business model but also covers the entire value chain. This means that the range of services covers everything from the issuance and placement of digital assets to subsequent trading on the secondary market. The fintech company has offices in Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the United Arab Emirates.

Finexity has been listed on the m:access segment of the Munich Stock Exchange since September and recently raised around EUR 2.2 million, which will be used to finance further growth. The priority is to transform the existing OTC trading platform into a fully regulated multilateral trading facility (MTF) with a DLT-based settlement system. The Company also plans to expand its position in the United Arab Emirates by broadening its product range. The plan is to introduce private market funds that will give investors access to tokenized private market assets. In addition to organic growth, acquisitions are also on the agenda. Finexity recently acquired Crowdli in Switzerland and Effecta in Germany, thereby expanding its issuer, investor, and product base.

The recently announced pilot project with Sparkasse Bremen and its subsidiary Sachwert Invest could prove to be groundbreaking in terms of growth and stock performance. In the future, customers will be able to make private market investments online. Sachwert Invest is already using the white-label solution of the Finexity platform. Successful completion of the pilot project opens up huge market potential in the savings bank sector, which comprises 300 institutions.

Commerzbank – When will the takeover happen?

Commerzbank shareholders can look back on a successful year. Based on good business performance and takeover speculation, shares have more than doubled this year. The bank recently completed a EUR 1 billion share buyback program, repurchasing just under 33 million shares or 2.75% of the share capital. In addition, the Company confirmed that the profits generated will be used entirely for shareholder interests, including dividend payments and share buybacks.

Unicredit holds around 26% of the bank and has secured a further 3% through derivatives. This means that the Italians are below the magic 30% threshold. Reaching or exceeding this mark would result in a public takeover bid. The Frankfurt-based bank's market capitalization currently stands at around EUR 40 billion. The institution was the first German bank to receive a license to hold crypto assets at the end of 2023. Digitalization in corporate banking is one of the group's strategic priorities.

Deutsche Bank – Yes to Wero

Since summer 2024, Europe has been trying to create a counterpart to PayPal. To this end, the European Payments Initiative (EPI), an association of banks and payment service providers, launched the Wero payment app, which is currently available in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Belgium. The latest news is particularly noteworthy in terms of domestic market penetration. Deutsche Bank is now also backing Wero, increasing its reach by 19 million customers.

With a nearly 80% stake in the fund company DWS, which manages EUR 1 trillion, the Company has a strong position in asset management. DWS itself is valued at around EUR 11 billion on the stock exchange, while the major shareholder is valued at EUR 63 billion and has a 2026 P/E ratio of 10. According to the majority opinion of analysts, both stocks are currently fully valued. DWS is driving forward the tokenization of funds, which would open up another field in the universe of digital assets to investors.

Newcomer Finextiy has excellent growth prospects. From issuance to trading in digital assets, the Hamburg-based company covers the entire value chain with its highly scalable business model. Product expansions and targeted acquisitions are on the agenda. The ongoing pilot project in the savings bank sector could lead to massive growth once it has been successfully implemented. This is offset by a moderate company valuation of around EUR 45 million. Commerzbank shareholders are pleased with the investor-friendly distribution policy and ongoing takeover speculation. According to analysts, Deutsche Bank shares have reached their peak.