Apex Group, a financial-services provider with more than $3 trillion in assets under administration, is set to acquire London-based Globacap, an investing platform with a U.S.-regulated broker-dealer, according to two people familiar with the plans.

The acquisition will help Apex spearhead regulated fund tokenization initiatives in the U.S. as interest around blockchain-based real world assets (RWAs) grows among professional investors.

In March, U.K. cryptocurrency exchange Archax said it bought Globacap's U.S. division. The deal, however, was not completed and a new bidder is in the frame, according to a recent report that cited people familiar with the matter .

Apex and Archax declined to comment on the deal. Representatives for Globacap did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Apex, which serves a wide range of clients, including alternative asset managers, allocators, financial institutions and family offices, has been tokenizing a portion of the many funds it manages to improve operational efficiencies and distribution.

The firm’s concerted push into digital assets was boosted by the acquisition of blockchain-based RWA specialist Tokeny in May.

Tokeny had previously partnered with Globacap, whose U.S. broker-dealer and alternative trading system (ATS) is regulated by FINRA and the Securities and Exchanges Commission (SEC).