PANews reported on August 4 that CACEIS, the asset services arm of Crédit Agricole, acquired a minority stake in French fintech company Kriptown to support the launch of the blockchain exchange Lise.

Lise aims to streamline equity financing and IPO processes for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-sized companies, becoming Europe's first blockchain-based tokenized exchange. The platform is currently awaiting approval for its DLT trading and settlement system under the EU pilot program. If approved, it would allow companies to issue, trade, and settle financial instruments directly on a distributed ledger, significantly reducing the time and cost of traditional IPOs. The first IPO is expected to launch in 2025.