Forum für digitale Vermögenswerte

Web3 Network organizes the FDV together with FINFOR, the Finanzplaner Fortbildung initiative. FINFOR runs professional education and networking events in Frankfurt. The collaboration combines an investor network focused on blockchain with a format for financial planners. The conference is held primarily in German, with individual discussions in English.

The intended audience includes private bankers, portfolio managers and family offices. Independent wealth managers and financial planners also take part. These professional roles involve different decisions: advising a client, selecting an investment vehicle or managing assets under a mandate. The FDV examines digital investments from these perspectives, including the questions advisors encounter in private banking.

Digital assets include crypto-assets such as Bitcoin and investments recorded as tokens. The legal rights behind a token depend on its structure. A cryptocurrency, a bond and a fund unit are different investments even when all use distributed ledgers. For a professional investor, the asset's classification determines which rules and operational arrangements need to be examined.

Tokenization records an asset or a right in digital form on a distributed ledger. Tokenized securities can represent claims against an issuer. A tokenized fund records fund units digitally; this does not mean that the fund itself invests in cryptocurrencies. The BVI distinguishes blockchain-based fund units from funds that invest in crypto-assets (in German). That distinction helps investors separate the recording technology from the investment strategy.

Bitcoin portfolio allocation is a question about an investor's objectives and capacity to bear losses. A decision also requires consideration of liquidity and the way a position fits with other holdings. Direct ownership and investment through a financial product involve different arrangements. The FDV's investment discussions have examined portfolio strategies and risk management, allowing participants to compare professional approaches without treating a conference presentation as a personal recommendation.

Digital asset custody concerns the safekeeping of assets or the means of accessing them. Under MiCA, custody providers have requirements for agreements, custody policies and client records. MiCA excludes assets that qualify as financial instruments from its scope. The distinction matters when evaluating a crypto service and a tokenized security: one technical method can be used for products governed by different legal frameworks.

For custody, a client needs to understand who controls access and how assets are returned. Client holdings must be separated from the provider's own holdings under MiCA. Those safeguards address custody arrangements; they do not remove changes in market value. An investment assessment therefore needs to examine both the asset and the service used to hold it.

The program combines presentations and panel discussions with focused sessions. A main-stage discussion can compare views from different investment businesses, while a smaller session can examine a specific operational question. Participants can use those formats to ask how an investment approach works and what its limits are. The speakers and individual session subjects vary between editions.

Dr. Tim Kreutzmann of the BVI has moderated a discussion on institutional portfolio decisions at the FDV. His responsibilities at the BVI include digital assets and investor regulation. The connection brings the fund industry's regulatory perspective into the forum. For further background, the BVI crypto guide explains investment possibilities for different fund types (in German).

Participation is arranged through an expression of interest submitted to the organizers. The FDV uses an invitation-based format. Eligibility, fees and any continuing-education recognition depend on the individual edition and participant category. The professional focus helps interested participants decide whether the discussions fit the work of their advisory practice or investment team.