honesto

What honesto does

honesto AG is a Swiss-regulated fintech founded in 2019, headquartered in Adliswil (Canton of Zurich) with a secondary entity in Vaduz, Liechtenstein. The company operates the honesto App — a retail crypto trading and marketplace application available on iOS and Android that aggregates pricing from over 20 crypto exchanges and automatically displays the best available price, with settlement executed once per day. Custody is provided in cooperation with a fully FINMA-regulated Swiss Partner Bank that holds private keys and reinsures assets without lending or rehypothecation; storage infrastructure is positioned at a Swiss Alps facility with NATO-grade security and EMP protection. honesto qualifies as a financial intermediary under the Swiss Anti-Money Laundering Act as a member of the VQF self-regulatory organization (membership 100947/SRO), and its Liechtenstein entity operates under the TVTG framework, together enabling compliant Swiss custody services in over 40 FATF member countries (excluding the United States).

The company's product surface extends beyond retail trading into three adjacent revenue lines: a White-Label Platform offering API-first modular microservices (REST, ISO 20022) for banks and asset managers to deploy crypto brokerage, custody, and KYC/AML modules under their own branding; Tokenization Services covering tokenomics modeling, smart contract implementation, issuance, and investor onboarding for real-world assets; and a Distribution network spanning affiliate marketplaces, white-label partner channels, and regulated broker/advisor networks operating under Swiss LEFin, MiFID II, and Reg D frameworks. The platform also lists proprietary tokenized products including Denario Gold, Denario Silver, Phenogy (renewable energy profit-sharing), and an Oil Royalty Token. A staking and rewards module is described as in development.

honesto generates revenue through multiple streams: a 1% transaction fee on crypto buys and sells, a 0.5% per annum custody fee billed quarterly, registration fees (CHF 19.50/EUR 19.00 for natural persons, CHF 120/hour for legal entities), a CHF 1,200 corporate account setup fee, withdrawal fees, white-label platform licensing under separate contractual terms, and professional services fees for tokenization projects. The company operates with 11-50 employees, is privately held with one disclosed early-stage funding round of approximately USD 1.04M (February 2020), and does not publicly disclose revenue figures.

Name

honesto

Legal name

honesto AG

Website

https://honesto.swiss

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

honesto AG is a Swiss-regulated fintech operating a retail crypto trading app backed by FINMA-regulated Swiss bank custody, plus a white-label platform, tokenization services, and a multi-channel distribution network serving banks, institutional investors, retail investors, and token issuers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Asset Trading & Tokenization Platform

NAICS

Securities and Commodity Contracts Intermediation and Brokerage (5231)

SIC

Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200)

akta.pro primary industry

Retail Crypto Brokerages (Simple Buy/Sell) (FSADAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Crypto Custody & Exchange Wallet Services (Integrated) (FSADAAAG), Prime Brokerage (Multi-Asset Crypto) (FSADAJAA)

Keywords

• Crypto trading platform
• Asset tokenization services
• White-label fintech
• Digital asset custody
• Swiss banking compliance

Headquarters

HQ city

Adliswil

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Transaction Fees: 1% transaction fee on each cryptocurrency buy or sell, shown before order execution and deducted upon confirmation.
2. Custody Fees: 0.5% per annum custody fee, billed quarterly and deducted from the honesto Client Transaction Account.
3. Registration Fees: CHF 19.50 or EUR 19.00 for natural persons (video identification, deducted from first deposit); CHF 120/hour for legal entities (time-spent basis).
4. Corporate Account Setup: CHF 1,200 one-time fee for corporate accounts, including CHF 600 processing fee and CHF 600 deposit credited to trading account.
5. Withdrawal Fees: CHF 2.00 or EUR 7.50 plus third-party fees per withdrawal.
6. Refund Handling Fee: CHF 200 fee for refunds when funds are returned to originating account after 60-day holding period.
7. White-Label Platform Licensing: Technical infrastructure provision (API, app framework, user management) for partner companies under their own brand. Governed by separate contractual agreements.
8. Tokenization Services: Advisory and technical implementation for digital representation of assets (real estate, energy plants, CO2 certificates, contracts) as tokens. Includes smart contracts, token issuance, KYC/AML, investor onboarding, and ongoing compliance support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

honesto operates a regulated cryptocurrency trading and marketplace application with Swiss bank custody, aggregating best prices from over 20 crypto exchanges for 24/7 trading of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other digital assets. It complements the consumer app with a modular, API-first white-label platform for financial institutions and end-to-end asset tokenization services (tokenomics, smart contracts, issuance, listing, distribution) for issuers of real estate, commodities, energy, and other tokenized assets.

Product overview

honesto is a Swiss-based digital asset platform offering an integrated ecosystem for tokenized assets. The core offering consists of the honesto App — a regulated crypto trading and marketplace platform with Swiss bank custody — complemented by white-label infrastructure solutions for financial institutions. The product portfolio includes modular components: the Trading & Marketplace App, White-Label Platform (with crypto brokerage, wallet management, and KYC/AML modules), Tokenization Services (advisory and technical implementation for digitizing assets), and Distribution Services (global multi-channel distribution network). Additional offerings include honesto Feetree (fee-sharing model), Corporate and Private Account types, and tokenized asset products such as Denario Gold, Denario Silver, Oil Royalty, and Phenogy tokens. The platform connects issuers, investors, and users through the honesto value chain from tokenomics design to listing and distribution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• honesto Feetree: A sustainable and transparent fee-sharing model that aligns the interests of all stakeholders in the honesto value chain.
• Denario Gold Token
• Denario Silver Token
• Phenogy Token
• Oil Royalty Token

Products and services

• honesto Trading & Marketplace App Fully regulated cryptocurrency trading and marketplace application offering 24/7 access to over 20 crypto exchanges with automatic best-price execution. Supports buying and selling of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other cryptocurrencies with Swiss bank custody, targeted at retail and institutional investors.
• White-Label Platform Modular, microservice-oriented platform enabling banks, asset managers, and financial institutions to offer crypto services under their own branding. Includes crypto brokerage module, wallet management and custody, KYC/AML module, and API-first architecture (REST, ISO 20022) for system integration.
• Tokenization Services Custom tokenization solutions for digitizing assets including real estate, commodities, company equity, CO2 certificates, and contracts. Services include tokenomics modeling, smart contract implementation, token issuance, KYC/AML integration, and investor onboarding.
• Distribution Services Multi-layered global distribution network for tokenized assets including the honesto Platform, affiliate marketplaces (CEX/DEX), white-label partner solutions, and regulated broker/advisor networks under Swiss LEFin, MiFID II, and Reg D frameworks.
• Corporate Account Crypto trading account for companies offering full access to the honesto Trading App, custody and management of company crypto assets, professional wallet and security solutions, and access to tokenized assets. One-time fee of CHF 1,200.
• Private Account Free cryptocurrency trading account for individuals with Swiss bank custody, automatic best-price execution from 20+ exchanges, and full compliance support.
• Denario Gold Token Digital asset backed by 1 fine ounce (31.1035 g) of physical gold, securely stored, regularly audited, and tradable 24/7 via the honesto app.
• Denario Silver Token Digital asset backed by 1 fine ounce (31.1035 g) of physical silver, securely stored, regularly audited, and tradable 24/7 via the honesto app.
• Oil Royalty Token Digital asset granting holders a share of revenues from oil extraction and sales in the USA, based on actual production rights with transparent, automated distribution.
• Phenogy Token Digital asset directly entitling holders to a share of profits from electricity sales, offering simple and transparent economic benefit from renewable energy.

Quantifiable outcome

• Best price from 20+ exchanges automatically displayed
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.

• FINMA-Regulated Partner BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFully FINMA-regulated Swiss partner bank providing custody of cryptocurrencies and holding client funds in omnibus accounts. The bank holds and insures crypto assets without lending or using them, providing institutional-grade security and regulatory compliance.
• Market MakercoreTechnology or IntegrationExecutes buy and sell orders for cryptocurrencies on behalf of honesto users at the best available price across supported trading platforms. Transfers acquired assets to pooled crypto wallet held by Partner Bank.
• VQF (Association for the Quality Assurance of Financial Services)coreOthersSelf-regulatory organization (SRO) under Swiss Anti-Money Laundering Act. honesto is a member (number 100947/SRO) qualifying as a financial intermediary within the meaning of Art. 2 para. 3 AMLA.
• IDnowsupportingTechnology or IntegrationCertified identity verification provider integrated into honesto's KYC module for automated identity checking during user onboarding.
• Intrum AGsupportingTechnology or IntegrationCredit check provider. Personal data may be forwarded to and stored by Intrum AG, Schwerzenbach for credit checks.
• EU-Business AcademyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEducational partnership where honesto provides insights into building a regulated fintech company to EU-Business Academy students. Represents community engagement and future talent pipeline.
• Regulated ExchangessupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWell-established relationships with regulated exchanges for listing and trading of tokenized assets. Part of the multi-layered distribution strategy.
• Licensed Broker-Dealer NetworkssupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGlobal financial service providers and broker-dealer networks enabling distribution of tokenized products under Swiss LEFin, MiFID II, and Reg D frameworks.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bitcoin Suisse: Swiss-regulated crypto broker and custodian offering trading, custody, staking, and tokenization services to retail, institutional, and B2B clients. Closest direct competitor given shared Swiss regulatory positioning and overlapping service lines.
• Sygnum Bank: Swiss-regulated digital asset bank providing institutional custody, trading, lending, and tokenization services. Direct competitor in the regulated Swiss crypto-finance niche with a stronger bank charter but similar enterprise B2B angle.
• AMINA Bank (formerly SEBA): FINMA-licensed Swiss bank focused on digital assets, offering custody, trading, lending, and tokenization. Direct competitor combining regulated banking license with a crypto brokerage proposition.
• SwissBorg: Swiss-based crypto wealth management app offering aggregated exchange liquidity (similar best-execution aggregation to honesto), custody, and yield products. Direct peer in the European retail crypto app category.
• Mt Pelerin: Swiss-regulated fintech offering crypto on-ramp/off-ramp and tokenized securities. Smaller-scale direct peer operating in the same Swiss regulatory and tokenization niche as honesto.
• Taurus SA: Swiss digital asset infrastructure provider offering custody, tokenization, and trading technology to banks and issuers. Direct peer competing for the same bank white-label and tokenization mandates as honesto.

Broad incumbents

• Coinbase: US-listed global crypto exchange and custody provider. Broader incumbent competing with honesto for retail trading and institutional custody, with vastly greater liquidity, listings, and marketing scale.
• Kraken: Global crypto exchange offering spot trading, staking, and institutional custody. Broader incumbent with similar institutional focus but materially larger scale and broader geographic reach.
• Fireblocks: Institutional digital asset custody and settlement platform used by banks and trading firms. Broader incumbent providing competing white-label-grade infrastructure for institutions entering crypto.

Emerging players

• Tokeny Solutions: Luxembourg-based tokenization platform enabling issuance and management of tokenized securities. Emerging player in the same tokenization services niche, with overlap on the institutional issuer side of honesto's business.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@honestoAG
• Facebookfacebook.com/honestoag
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/honestoag
• Instagraminstagram.com/honesto_app
• Xx.com/honestoag

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about honesto