How we built a compliant blockchain trading platform for digital securities

The client hired us for blockchain and SEC compliance expertise. They needed help refining their solution to meet regulations and converting legacy code into a production-ready platform.

What we built

The product is a compliant Alternative Trading System (ATS) for trading digital securities backed by real-world assets like real estate, financial instruments, and commodities. Designed for accredited investors, issuers, and institutions, it supports crypto and fiat for primary and secondary markets using tokenization, transfer agents, and smart contracts.

Primary & Secondary Trading

• Primary: Offerings configuration and integrations with blockchain-based tokenization agents.
• Secondary: Integration with ATS via API and FIX protocol, including portfolio tracking, notifications, and trading restrictions based on transfer agent approvals.

Blockchain Integration

• Integration with securities smart contracts on multiple blockchains.
• Real-time transaction observability.
• On-chain payment processing capabilities.

Tokenization & Transfer Agents

• Tokenization Agents: Integrated with leading tokenization and compliance platforms.
• Transfer Agents: Connected to transfer agents via standardized protocols for approvals and restrictions.

Compliance & Onboarding Panel

• Versioned form reviews: Workflow-based form management, including requests for changes or additional information.
• Wallet screening: Automated KYT/AML checks.
• User screening: Integrated KYC/AML checks for individuals and institutions.
• Audit tracking: Full audit trails covering wallet approvals, orders, and whitelist activity.

Key Challenges

• Inherited Code: We took over a legacy codebase with little documentation and transformed it into a production-ready system.
• Poor UX: The original product lacked a user-centered design, making it unintuitive and difficult to use.
• Regulatory Complexity: We navigated strict SEC requirements while maintaining platform flexibility.
• Evolving Integrations: Many external systems (custodians, agents) were still under development, and their APIs varied widely.
• Data Fragmentation: We had to balance and verify both on-chain and off-chain data in an environment where blockchain was not the only source of truth.
• Trading Restrictions: Ensuring consistent enforcement of trading restrictions and approval logic across multiple agents—via FIX and API protocols—was especially complex during ongoing integration work.

How we overcame them

To meet SEC requirements with minimal user friction, we integrated KYC for institutional users.

We built a unified middleware layer to standardize connections to custodians and transfer agents, removing the need for custom code and simplifying API updates.

We modernized the legacy codebase while preserving SEC-approved features, added real-time error monitoring, and developed a sync engine to reconcile blockchain and off-chain data for integrity.

Despite inherited UX constraints, we delivered a secure, compliant foundation with multi-wallet support and a compliance panel for onboarding, audits, and regulatory workflows.

Client Benefits

• For Issuers: Lower costs, simpler processes, and access to more investors made raising capital easier.
• For Investors: Easier access, faster settlement, improved liquidity via secondary markets, and full regulatory compliance.
• For Financial Institutions: Easy API integration, regulatory clarity, and advanced blockchain features to stay ahead in the market.

The result: a platform that merges traditional finance and blockchain, making private market investing more accessible, efficient, and transparent.