SettleMint vs Archax
Archax built the UK's first regulated digital securities exchange. DALP builds the infrastructure behind yours.
Archax is the UK's first FCA-authorized digital securities exchange, custodian, and broker with $400M+ tokenized assets and relationships with State Street, Fidelity, LGIM, and abrdn. DALP provides neutral infrastructure: institution-owned digital asset programs with full lifecycle management, on-premises deployment, and operational controls not tied to a single FCA-regulated venue.
Feature Comparison
DALP vs Archax
| Dimension | DALP | Archax |
|---|---|---|
| Platform model | Neutral infrastructure: institutions build and operate their own digital asset programs with full ownership of compliance, custody, and workflows | FCA-authorized digital securities exchange, custodian, and broker. First UK-regulated venue of its kind. Institutions access Archax's licensed marketplace |
| Regulatory standing | Platform provider. Regulatory approval for your specific use case managed by your legal team | FCA-authorized digital securities exchange (July 2023, first in UK). Also FCA-authorized custodian and broker. UK regulatory moat is genuine |
| Asset lifecycle coverage | Full lifecycle: issuance, compliance, custody, atomic settlement, servicing (coupons, dividends, redemptions, maturity), and retirement across 7 asset types | Tokenization engine for issuance, secondary market trading, and custody. Limited public evidence of automated post-issuance servicing at scale (coupon payments, corporate actions) |
| Blockchain compatibility | EVM-compatible networks: Hyperledger Besu, Ethereum, any EVM-compatible public or private network | 10+ chains: Hedera Hashgraph (primary), XRP Ledger, Ethereum, Arbitrum, Solana, Algorand, Stellar, Canton, and others via Ownera FinP2P |
| Custody model | Bring-your-own-custodian: Fireblocks, DFNS. Maker-checker approval workflows, RBAC/ABAC, HSM compatibility, weighted multisig vaults | Archax operates its own FCA-authorized custody. Institutions custody through Archax. Fireblocks integration also available |
| Deployment model | On-premises, cloud, hybrid, air-gapped. Helm/Kubernetes with Velero backup/DR. Full data residency support | Cloud-hosted platform. On-premises deployment not documented. UK-focused with LSEG Digital Markets Infrastructure integration |
| Observability and developer tooling | 21 pre-built Grafana dashboards, VictoriaMetrics, Loki, Tempo, 298 CLI commands. REST API, GraphQL, event webhooks | No public SDK, developer portal, or API documentation evidenced. Platform appears client-facing rather than developer-first |
| Geographic coverage | Global: active deployments in MENA, Europe, and APAC including sovereign-scale programs. No jurisdiction lock-in | UK primary focus (FCA authorization). Asset managers primarily UK/European. XRPL partnership targeting $1B+ tokenized by mid-2026 |
Why Choose DALP
3 Reasons Institutions Choose DALP Over Archax
Archax is the right choice for accessing a UK-regulated marketplace. DALP is the right choice for building your own digital asset program.
DALP provides neutral infrastructure for building institution-owned digital asset programs. Archax is a licensed venue: issuers access Archax's regulated marketplace and custody. For institutions that want to operate their own programs rather than access a marketplace, the models differ fundamentally.
DALP automates coupon payments, dividend distributions, redemptions, and maturity events across 7 asset types. Archax's public documentation shows strong issuance and trading but limited evidence of automated post-issuance servicing at scale.
DALP has active deployments in MENA, Europe, and APAC with no jurisdiction lock-in. Archax's regulatory position is UK-centric. For institutions operating across UAE, Germany, or Singapore, DALP avoids the constraints of a UK-licensed exchange.
Key Differentiators
What institution-owned infrastructure provides
Neutral platform: no trading venue dependency, no UK-only license constraint for MENA or APAC programs
298 CLI commands and documented APIs: full developer control that Archax does not provide publicly
21 pre-built Grafana dashboards: the operational observability Archax's clients cannot access directly
7 asset templates with full lifecycle logic: bonds, deposits, stablecoins, equity, funds, real estate, precious metals
Bring-your-own-custodian: no lock-in to Archax custody for institutions with existing custodian relationships
On-premises deployment: full data residency for institutions with UK GDPR and sovereignty requirements
Frequently Asked Questions
Archax is the UK's first FCA-authorized digital securities exchange, custodian, and broker with $400M+ tokenized and relationships with major UK asset managers. DALP is neutral infrastructure for institutions building their own digital asset programs: full lifecycle management, on-premises deployment, and operational controls not tied to a single marketplace. Different buyer types: institutions accessing a regulated UK marketplace vs. institutions building their own programs.
DALP is a platform provider, not an FCA-authorized exchange or custodian. Archax's FCA authorization (first UK digital securities exchange, July 2023) is a genuine regulatory advantage for UK marketplace operations. For institutions that need to build their own regulated programs rather than access Archax's marketplace, DALP provides the technical infrastructure layer.
Yes. DALP supports on-premises and air-gapped deployment via Kubernetes and Helm with Velero backup and disaster recovery. Archax is a cloud-hosted platform. For UK institutions with data residency requirements or preference to keep infrastructure in-house, DALP is the deployable option.
DALP automates coupon payments, dividend distributions, redemptions, and maturity events across all 7 asset types. Archax's public documentation focuses on tokenization and trading; automated post-issuance servicing at scale (coupon automation, corporate action processing) is not evidenced in public materials.
DALP is EVM-native and supports Hyperledger Besu, Ethereum, and any EVM-compatible network. Archax supports 10+ chains including Hedera (primary partner), XRP Ledger, Ethereum, Arbitrum, Solana, and others. DALP's strength is depth on EVM-compatible networks with full lifecycle management; Archax's strength is multi-chain distribution across its venue.