XDC Network Expands Institutional Validator Program With Major Global Signings as Institutional Appetite for Blockchain Grows

Institutional blockchain infrastructure is only as credible as the organizations running it. That principle has guided XDC Network's validator strategy for the past two years, and it took a new form this week when CertiK, the blockchain security firm, formally joined the network's institutional consensus infrastructure, embedding real-time threat monitoring directly into the layer that processes trade finance settlements and real-world asset transactions.

Under a MoU, CertiK will establish and operate validator nodes on XDC through CertiK SkyNode, its enterprise node infrastructure, consolidating transaction verification and real-time security monitoring into a single operational layer. The arrangement positions CertiK as both a transaction verifier and a security operator on the network, combining two functions that institutional blockchain deployments have historically kept separate.

"CertiK is honored to join the XDC Network as an Institutional Masternode Validator," said Ronghui Gu, Co-Founder and CEO of CertiK. "Traditional trade finance and RWA tokenization require rigorous risk management, strong security foundations, and operational resilience. Through this collaboration, we are bringing our security and infrastructure expertise to help strengthen the network and support the trusted infrastructure needed for institutional adoption."

"CertiK is one of the most recognized names in blockchain security, and their presence as a validator is a direct statement to institutions about the infrastructure standard we are holding ourselves to," said Atul Khekade, Co-founder, XDC Network. "Enterprise finance does not move on promises. It moves on proof."

The move reflects a broader pattern that is becoming harder for US institutions to ignore. Institutions from the United States, Hong Kong, Japan, Germany, and Singapore have secured operational roles inside XDC Network's consensus layer, collectively embedding their compliance frameworks and enterprise relationships into the infrastructure that processes trade finance settlements and real-world asset transactions. The validator program now spans multiple markets and institutional categories, and the organizations that secured early positions are already operating at the center of a network that is processing real transactions for global enterprises.

The roster reflects that strategy across distinct institutional categories. On the regulated finance side, SBI Holdings, one of Japan's largest financial services groups, operates as an institutional validator, extending its regulatory frameworks into the network's core infrastructure. In the telecoms category, Deutsche Telekom, through its MMS subsidiary, brings telecommunications infrastructure experience and familiarity with European regulatory requirements to its validator role, which may support the operational and compliance needs of cross-border trade finance transactions.

On the digital asset side, HashKey Cloud and Republic bring experience with blockchain infrastructure and institutional markets, representing intermediaries working across traditional finance and on-chain markets.

XDC Network uses a hybrid architecture designed to allow financial institutions to settle transactions on a public ledger while keeping certain sensitive transaction data within private subnetworks. That design has made it a recurring choice for corporations and banks evaluating blockchain for trade finance and asset settlement. What it lacked, until now, was a security firm operating at the same infrastructure level as the banks and telecoms already inside the network.

CertiK helps to fill that gap. Its SkyNode infrastructure runs security checks around the clock, scanning for vulnerabilities, responding to threats automatically, and stress-testing the network's nodes through continuous penetration testing. The system is built across multiple regions with backup protection, so the network keeps processing transactions even when individual nodes come under pressure.

On XDC’s institutional validator strategy, Chen Shanlong, Chief Partnerships Officer, XDC Network, commented, “We are single-minded in bringing together the best Web3 firms, Tier 1 VCs, global MNCs and regulated Financial Institutions onchain. This melting pot of different corporate profiles as institutional validators of XDC Network creates potential avenues of cooperation amongst our validators and synergies for our ecosystem builders to leverage.” 

The validator program includes participants from banking, telecommunications, capital markets, and security, reflecting a broader mix of industries involved in transaction verification and settlement. This composition may be relevant to enterprise procurement teams and institutional risk committees evaluating blockchain networks.

The financial terms of the partnerships were not disclosed.

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