European financial institutions unite to launch RL1 blockchain infrastructure

A consortium of ten European financial institutions just flipped the switch on what might be the most “establishment” blockchain network ever built. RL1, short for Regulated Layer One, began operations on July 28, 2026, as a member-owned European Cooperative Society headquartered in Luxembourg. The founding members include heavyweights like ABN AMRO, DekaBank, and Natixis CIB. And before anyone asks: no, there’s no token. No airdrop. No governance coin. This is blockchain infrastructure designed specifically for institutions that would rather eat glass than touch a meme coin. What RL1 actually does RL1 operates as a permissioned distributed ledger technology network focused on tokenized assets, payments, settlement, and capital market applications. The network builds on the existing SWIAT platform, which has already processed more than €600 million in transaction volume since going live. SWIAT GmbH will continue serving as the technical operator and software provider, while governance of the cooperative ensures equal participation among all members. The use cases include digital bond issuance, real-world asset tokenization, on-chain collateral management, and regulated stablecoins....