Interview with FINEXITY

In this article, Paul Huelsmann, the CEO of FINEXITY, has been interviewed by Mahsa Doorfard, the marketing manager of coinIX. coinIX invested in FINEXITY back in 2020. Click here to watch the interview.

‘Would you please introduce yourself and tell us how did you end up in the blockchain industry? what is your story?’

It’s a long story, but I’ll keep it brief. I’m Paul. I was born in Germany, lived in the UK for seven years, and also worked in Bangkok and Singapore for a large German conglomerate, mainly in s. I returned to Germany in late 2016 and took on a position as assistant to the global Chief Controlling Officer, again focusing on M&A.

My entry into blockchain was quite straightforward. After my assistant role, I had the opportunity to co-found a global incubator within the same company. One of my co-founders from that time is now at Finexity. Out of the 14 companies we invested in, six were already involved in blockchain. That’s when we really started to dig into the technology.

We realized that technology should always serve a purpose. When used effectively, it can help build a strong brand reputation. But to succeed, you have to strike the right balance — developing advanced tech while keeping your product accessible to a broad audience.

The idea for Finexity came to us in 2018. At the time, we were deeply involved in the payment space and began to see how blockchain could truly transform it — especially in terms of decentralizing payment flows and making high-value assets accessible to a wider audience. That’s essentially what we do at Finexity.

If I had to describe Finexity in one sentence: we are building an exchange for private market investing. Unlike traditional exchanges where you trade stocks and bonds, our platform enables users to invest in private equity and real estate — residential, commercial, hospitality, healthcare, and more. We’ve also worked extensively with collectibles and infrastructure.

In the last five years, we’ve facilitated over 230 different deals across these asset classes, making us one of the largest dealmakers in our segment globally.

‘How would you explain your project to your grandmother?’

My grandmother is 95, so I’d have to keep it simple. I’d say: with Finexity, you can invest in things that were previously out of reach — like high-value real estate or rare collectibles — without having to buy the entire asset. Let’s say your bank advisor calls and suggests you invest your 10,000 euros in traditional stocks and bonds. That’s fine, but what about assets that were historically reserved for the wealthy?

We make it possible for regular investors to own fractions of these assets through our exchange infrastructure.

‘When was the first moment that the idea of FINEXITY was born?

The idea came to life in mid-2018. We were still working our corporate jobs back then, and the blockchain space was booming — there was a lot of excitement around STOs and crypto in general.

We saw this as a rare opportunity. We could either seize it or let it pass us by. I’m very glad we went for it. Seven years later, we’ve successfully merged the traditional financial world with the emerging blockchain space. Everything we do is regulated, including our tokenized securities. From day one, we’ve focused on operating within legal frameworks while making these investments more accessible.

‘What problem is FINEXITY solving?’

At Finexity, our motto is “driving opportunities in private markets.” We’re building the leading exchange for private market investing. An exchange always has two sides — supply and demand.

On the supply side, we work with issuers: asset managers, funds, real estate developers, etc. Their goal is to raise capital quickly and efficiently. Using blockchain, we reduce the cost of securitization by around 80%, thanks to a standardized structuring process and by eliminating unnecessary intermediaries.

On the demand side, we serve investors — both retail and professional. Through our investment brokerage solution, we onboard investors via KYC, AML, and risk adequacy testing, then match them with appropriate products. Professionals get access to a wider range, while retail investors get access to assets they’ve never been able to invest in before.

A big part of our growth comes from our B2B2X model. Since 2022, we’ve white-labeled our infrastructure for use by savings banks, Volksbanks, and wealth managers. They can now offer their clients access to these tokenized securities using our technology.

In short, we’re running an exchange that’s faster, more cost-effective, and opens up investment opportunities that were previously off-limits.

‘Would you mention some of the recent updates, partnerships, and advancements?’

To grow, a company can scale organically or inorganically. I come from an M&A background, so I strongly believe in inorganic growth — it’s often faster and more strategic.

Just recently — we announced it yesterday — we acquired a Swiss company that’s been active in blockchain tokenization even longer than we have. They issued the first regulated bond passported across multiple countries in 2018. Some might know them as Crowdli Tokens.

We acquired them via a capital increase in kind, meaning their shareholders are now ours. We’re running operations in Switzerland and Liechtenstein, which opens access to new investors and real estate opportunities.

We’re also expanding in the Middle East. Over the past two and a half years, we’ve built solid partnerships and will soon be launching our first five funds focused on private market investments.

Beyond that, we believe in open infrastructure. That’s why we’ve partnered with players like Cashlink, allowing more issuers to use our brokerage network to raise funds. So our focus is currently on expansion, M&A, and partnerships.

‘Can you name some of your competitors? What makes your project stand out among your competitors?’

Some notable players include 360X — kudos to them, they’ve built a strong team and have a solid regulatory setup. Another is 21X, which recently received a DLT TSS license from ESMA, making them a fully regulated trading and settlement system. That’s a major achievement.

But I don’t think this is a winner-takes-all market. It’s rapidly growing, and those who started early — like us — have a clear advantage.

What makes us stand out is our bottom-up approach. From 2020 to 2022, we focused purely on B2C — issuing and brokering our own securities. Between 2022 and 2025, we shifted to B2X — white-labeling our infrastructure for banks and wealth managers.

Now, we’re in the third phase: scaling. We have the infrastructure, investor base, and partners in place. Newcomers face the challenge of building all of this from scratch, while we’re already integrating everything into one scalable system.

‘What is your message to the people who have not invested in the blockchain industry yet?’

Blockchain is a big topic, but my advice would be: start small and get some exposure. Cryptocurrencies are a good place to begin — preferably the more established ones, as they offer better liquidity and relative stability. Of course, this isn’t financial advice.

At the same time, consider tokenized assets. If you have, say, $5,000, you might invest $3,000 in something liquid and put $2,000 into a tokenized asset. That way, you get diversification without needing a massive capital outlay.

If you don’t explore blockchain investing, I think you’re missing out.

Watch the interview on coinIX YouTube Channel: