Peter Thiel-backed Bitpanda unveils Vision Chain to connect EU banks and token assets
Peter Thiel-backed digital asset broker Bitpanda has launched Vision Chain, an Ethereum layer 2 network designed to provide a regulated infrastructure where financial assets and institutions can operate securely onchain.
Created with the Vision Web3 Foundation and built on the Optimism stack, Vision Chain delivers a compliant, robust environment for financial institutions to issue and manage digital assets in accordance with MiCAR, MiFID II, and DORA, while reducing volatility with euro-based stablecoin currencies.
The network aims to address critical infrastructure gaps that have limited the adoption of tokenized assets across Europe, Bitpanda CEO Lukas Enzersdorfer-Konrad said in a statement.
“With Vision Chain, we are introducing a public blockchain built with a European regulatory framework at its core,” he said. “Together with Optimism and the Vision Foundation, Bitpanda is creating an infrastructure that combines access to public blockchains with the standards needed by institutions. This is about building long-term foundations for European digital markets.”
Fabian Reinisch, President of the Vision Web3 Foundation Board, said that Vision Chain promotes the foundation’s goal of developing a sustainable onchain infrastructure.
The network provides an integrated alternative to private private networks, enabling institutions to scale from testing to full production while tapping into the global blockchain ecosystem, as noted by the team.
“Vision Chain reflects the growing need for blockchain infrastructure that meets institutional standards without sacrificing the openness of Ethereum. With OP Enterprise, we offer a fully managed deployment model that supports chain operations, infrastructure management, and continuous development, allowing our partners to focus on product development and real-world use cases,” Jing Wang, CEO of Optimism, said.
Building a connected web3 ecosystem
Vision Chain is part of Bitpanda’s effort to build a compatible, accessible web3 ecosystem that integrates traditional finance and decentralized technology.
The ecosystem consists of five key components: a user-friendly wallet, the Vision Protocol for cross-chain liquidity aggregation, the Vision Chain as a compliance-oriented L2 blockchain, the Launchpad for early-stage web3 investments, and the Vision token (VSN), which enables rewards, governance, and management.
VSN was trading near $0.052 at press time, giving it a market capitalization of $186 million, per CoinGecko.
Part of the cost generated throughout the Vision Chain is set aside for periodic buybacks that permanently remove tokens from circulation, a price-dampening mechanism intended to link rising network usage with upward pressure on token prices. Staking rewards provide additional incentive for long-term owners.
Competitive position
Vision Chain enters a competitive but diverse market.
Major global banks such as JPMorgan Chase and Société Générale have established tokenization platforms, but these systems typically operate on repositories with limited interactions and decentralized liquidity.
Bitpanda’s thesis is that a shared, regulatory-traditional public network can address this by acting as a common settlement layer, making assets issued by a single participant easily accessible.
Bitpanda center replacement
Bitpanda has expanded from a retail-focused company to institutional services through Bitpanda Enterprise, supporting partners including N26, Deutsche Börse Group, selected Raiffeisen banks, and RAKBANK.
The company reported adjusted revenue of approximately 371 million euros by 2025, and its user base has grown to more than seven million.
Bitpanda has also publicly shown plans to pursue an IPO on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in 2026, aiming for a valuation between €4 billion and €5 billion.
