Tokenisation in Jersey: why governance and assurance matter now

Jersey’s Time to Win competitiveness report, published on 16 March 2026, sets out five strategic imperatives for the Island’s financial and professional services sector over the next decade. One of them is clear: Jersey intends to lead in tokenisation.

That is not a passing reference or a long-term aspiration. It sits within a published government programme, supported by a ministerial action plan, the launch of the Digital Assets Innovation Council in December 2025, and the JFSC’s new strategy, which highlights growth, innovation and proportionate regulation as central themes. Together, these developments show that digital assets and tokenised structures are now firmly part of Jersey’s strategic direction.

The message from the Island is also an important one. Jersey is not seeking to compete by weakening standards or diluting regulation. Its competitive advantage remains the quality of its legal framework, regulatory credibility and professional services infrastructure. What the programme recognises is that, in a faster-moving market, those strengths need to be matched by clarity, speed and commercial responsiveness.

For businesses operating in this space, that policy direction creates practical questions. Tokenisation may be innovative, but the core governance and assurance issues are familiar: how assets are valued, how ownership and control are evidenced, how transactions are recorded, how custody arrangements are understood, and how AML obligations are met. What changes is the environment in which those questions are being answered.

Digital assets and tokenised structures introduce complexity in areas that traditional models do not always address neatly. On-chain transactions need to be reconciled to off-chain books and records. Custody may involve wallets, private key controls and third-party digital asset service providers rather than traditional custodians. Valuation may require greater judgement where liquidity, pricing sources or market depth are limited. Boards and governance teams therefore need to ensure that reporting lines, controls and oversight arrangements evolve in step with the asset class.

None of this should be seen as a barrier to growth. It does, however, require preparation. Firms considering tokenised products or digital asset exposure should think early about governance frameworks, accounting treatment, valuation methodology, internal controls and audit readiness. Institutional investors and counterparties will want confidence not only in Jersey’s regulatory direction, but also in the quality of the governance and assurance that sits around these structures.

This is where experienced local advisers matter. Baker Tilly Channel Islands provides audit, assurance and advisory services across Jersey’s financial services sector and has developed capability in digital assets and blockchain-related matters. We have supported clients on the governance, controls and reporting considerations that arise where digital assets or tokenised structures are involved, combining technical understanding of the asset class with knowledge of the local regulatory environment.

As Jersey’s framework continues to evolve, businesses will benefit from advisers who understand both the strategic direction of the Island and the practical assurance issues that digital assets can create. For firms already holding digital assets, considering tokenised structures, or assessing how Jersey’s evolving framework may affect them, an early conversation is worthwhile.

Getting governance and assurance arrangements right at the outset can make later growth, investor engagement and audit execution significantly smoother.