Crypto exchange LCX has been granted eight out of the 11 crypto-related licenses in Liechtenstein, expanding its security-token services and allowing the company to continue operating in the region.

The licenses make LCX a regulated crypto exchange, digital asset custody provider, price oracle provider, digital asset compliance provider, smart-contract creator and token-offering platform, said LCX CEO Monty Metzger.

The exchange had already been operating with retail crypto services in Europe and Switzerland and security token services in the U.S., but now those services are expanded, allowing the firm to custody and also generate security tokens for its clients. 

“If one of the banks wants to have [security token] clients worldwide and wants to go through Liechtenstein, they have to work with one of the regulated token generators,” Metzger said. “We are the only token generator in the region.” 

In an era where banks are not only exploring bitcoin but their own digital assets, LCX is positioning itself to be a retail exchange that can help other institutions launch their own digital assets. Last year, several central banks explored the idea of creating central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), including the U.S., China and South Korea.

Because LCX operated before Liechtenstein had developed its crypto regulatory framework, the exchange has been run under a grandfather clause that exempted it from licensing requirements for a brief period.