European banks unite behind RL1 blockchain

• Ten European financial institutions have launched Regulated Layer One (RL1), a blockchain for regulated digital finance.
• The network will support tokenised assets, digital payments and other financial services.
• The founders aim to build a shared blockchain owned and governed by European financial institutions.

Ten European financial institutions have launched Regulated Layer One (RL1), a blockchain network built for regulated financial markets.

The founders said RL1 will support tokenised assets, digital payments and other blockchain-based financial services while meeting regulatory requirements.

RL1 will be jointly owned and governed by European financial institutions through a cooperative structure rather than a single company.

The network is based on technology developed by SWIAT and has already processed more than €600 million in transactions.

The platform aims to reduce settlement times and improve interoperability across Europe's financial markets.

Founding members include institutions such as ABN AMRO, NatWest, DZ Bank, LBBW and Natixis CIB.

The launch reflects growing demand from banks for blockchain infrastructure that supports regulated digital assets and payments.