The opportunity has drawn growing interest across Wall Street. Citi projected that tokenized securities could reach $5.5 trillion by 2030, while Boston Consulting Group and Ripple estimated the market could grow to $18.9 trillion by 2033.
“We have long said that public equities are moving onchain, and there is no stronger validation of that belief than tokenizing our own public stock on day one,” CEO Carlos Domingo said in a statement.
Issuer-sponsored tokenization
Unlike many existing tokenized stock products, which are issued by third parties or offered outside the United States, Securitize said SECZ is an issuer-sponsored tokenization of the company’s own shares. Eligible U.S. investors can buy the tokenized stock through Securitize’s platform after completing identity verification and meeting securities law requirements.
The launch doubles as a showcase for Securitize’s business.
The company, founded in 2017, has spent years building tokenization infrastructure for firms including BlackRock, Apollo, KKR, Hamilton Lane and VanEck, providing issuance, transfer agency and fund administration services for blockchain-based securities.
Earlier this year, NYSE parent company Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) partnered with Securitize to develop infrastructure for tokenized equities. It also teamed up with Computershare and Continental, two of the world’s largest transfer agents, to help public firms issue their shares in token form on blockchain rails.