The investment coincides with BlackRock's
selection of Securitize as the transfer agent of its first
tokenized fund on a public blockchain.
MIAMI, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Securitize, the
leader in tokenizing real-world assets, today announced the
successful completion of a $47
million funding round led by BlackRock (Nasdaq: BLK). The
strategic investment also includes funding from Hamilton Lane
(Nasdaq: HLNE), ParaFi Capital, and Tradeweb Markets (Nasdaq:
TW).
This investment underscores Securitize's industry pioneering
efforts in digitizing capital markets with blockchain technology.
The contributed capital will fuel Securitize's continued innovation
and expansion as it further solidifies its position as a leader in
the digital asset securities ecosystem.
As part of the investment, Joseph
Chalom, BlackRock's Global Head of Strategic Ecosystem
Partnerships, has been appointed to Securitize's Board of
Directors.
"We are thrilled to have the support of such distinguished
investors as we continue to drive the digitization of capital
markets through tokenization," said Securitize Co-Founder and CEO
Carlos Domingo. "In our view, the
transformative potential of blockchain technology to reshape the
future of finance in general – and tokenization in particular – is
promising."
"At BlackRock, we believe that tokenization has the potential to
drive a significant transformation in capital markets
infrastructure. Our investment in Securitize is another step in the
evolution of our digital assets strategy," said Joseph Chalom. "We are pleased to lead this
investment round alongside other participants and help foster
innovation that will help meet the future needs of our
clients."
Juan Delgado, Hamilton Lane
Co-CEO, commented: "Hamilton Lane has a deep history with
Securitize, having partnered initially in 2022 and since then
enabling access to our Senior Credit Opportunities Fund (SCOPE) as
well as our Equity Opportunities Fund V. We are committed to making
the private markets accessible to a broader set of investors,
including through digital first, token-based technology. Securitize
continues to be a leader in this space and we are thrilled with
this investment and excited to continue our collaboration."
"Securitize has built cutting edge infrastructure that enables
traditional assets to move onto the high speed, modern rails of
blockchains -- enabling greater transparency, immediate settlement,
reduced counterparty risk, and heightened programmability," said
Ben Forman, Founder and Managing
Partner of ParaFi. "At ParaFi, we've invested broadly across
digital asset and tokenization infrastructure and are thrilled to
partner with Carlos and the Securitize team to enable this vision
of the future."
"Tokenization has the potential to drive greater efficiency and
accessibility across financial markets," said Tradeweb Chief
Product Officer Chris Bruner.
"Securitize's expertise in digital asset securities aligns nicely
with Tradeweb's focus on delivering cutting-edge technology that
strengthens market infrastructure for our clients."
Other strategic investors in the round include Aptos Labs,
Circle and Paxos. Securitize will leverage the proceeds of the
funding round to accelerate product development, expand its global
footprint, and further strengthen its partnerships across the
financial services ecosystem.
The funding round coincides with the launch of BlackRock's first
tokenized fund issued on Ethereum, the BlackRock USD
Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund (BUIDL), available to
investors by subscribing to the fund with Securitize.
BUIDL seeks to offer a stable value of $1 per token and pays daily accrued dividends
directly to investors' wallets as new tokens each month. The Fund
invests 100% of its total assets in cash, U.S. Treasury bills, and
repurchase agreements, allowing investors to earn yield while
holding the token on the blockchain. Investors can transfer their
tokens 24/7/365 to other pre-approved investors. Through Circle,
BUIDL holders can transfer their shares to Circle for USDC through
its smart contract functionality. Fund participants will also
have flexible custody options allowing them to choose how to hold
their tokens.
About Securitize
Securitize, the leader in tokenizing
real world assets, is driving the compliant digitization of
financial assets through next generation blockchain technology.
Securitize, or through its subsidiaries, is a registered broker
dealer (member SIPC) and operates a primary marketplace, an
alternative trading system as well as a top 10 transfer agent and
has an exempt reporting adviser. Learn more at
http://www.securitize.io.
About Hamilton Lane
Hamilton Lane (Nasdaq: HLNE) is
one of the largest private markets investment firms globally,
providing innovative solutions to institutional and private wealth
investors around the world. Dedicated exclusively to private
markets investing for more than 30 years, the firm currently
employs nearly 700 professionals operating in offices throughout
North America, Europe, Asia
Pacific and the Middle
East. Hamilton Lane has approximately $903 billion in assets under management and
supervision, composed of $120 billion
in discretionary assets and nearly $783
billion in non-discretionary assets, as of December 31, 2023. Hamilton Lane specializes in
building flexible investment programs that provide clients access
to the full spectrum of private markets strategies, sectors and
geographies. For more information, please visit
www.hamiltonlane.com or follow Hamilton Lane on LinkedIn.
About ParaFi
ParaFi Capital is a leading alternative
asset management firm that operates hedge fund and venture capital
strategies focused on the digital asset ecosystem. Founded in 2018,
ParaFi was among the earliest investors in the blockchain industry
and has evolved into a trusted partner by leading institutions
globally. ParaFi's investment and technology team pursues
idiosyncratic opportunities across venture, liquid, and
quantitative strategies with a focus on bridging traditional
capital markets and blockchain technology. As a firm, ParaFi is
committed to a culture of rigorous research, technical development,
and institutional underwriting to enable exceptional results for
our partners and portfolio companies. Learn more at
www.parafi.com.
About Tradeweb
Tradeweb Markets Inc. (Nasdaq: TW) is
a leading, global operator of electronic marketplaces for rates,
credit, equities and money markets. Founded in 1996, Tradeweb
provides access to markets, data and analytics, electronic trading,
straight-through-processing and reporting for more than 50 products
to clients in the institutional, wholesale and retail markets.
Advanced technologies developed by Tradeweb enhance price
discovery, order execution and trade workflows while allowing for
greater scale and helping to reduce risks in client trading
operations. Tradeweb serves more than 2,500 clients in more than 70
countries. On average, Tradeweb facilitated more than $1.5 trillion in notional value traded per day
over the past four quarters. For more information, please go to
www.tradeweb.com.
Securitize Disclosures
Securities are offered through Securitize Markets, LLC,
("Securitize Markets") a registered broker-dealer and member
FINRA/SIPC. Securitize Markets, LLC, and Securitize Capital, an
Exempt Reporting Adviser, are not involved in Real-World Asset
(RWA) tokenization, a service provided by Securitize.
Assets such as digital assets or tokens using blockchain, are
speculative, involve a high degree of risk, are generally illiquid,
may have no value, have limited regulatory certainty, are subject
to potential market manipulation risks and may expose investors to
loss of principal.
Securitize, Inc. (Securitize) is a Delaware corporation. Securitize is a
technology provider which, together with its affiliates, maintains
an end-to-end web-based platform used by issuers for issuing
securities, specifically including digital asset securities.
Securitize is not a registered broker-dealer.
Securitize, LLC is a transfer agent registered with the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission.
Securitize Markets also operates Securitize Markets ATS, an
alternative trading system.
Securitize Capital, LLC is an exempt reporting adviser filed
with the State of Florida.
Media Contact:
press@securitize.io
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SOURCE Securitize