A Month in Review – November 2019

Digital Securities

November was a month with more ups than downs.  While a tokenized real estate project fell through, there were various examples of strategic investments; Investments which will see international expansion into countries like Japan.  In this monthly recap, we look at both sides of the coin, while highlighting a few of this month’s exclusive commentary from industry insiders.

Partnerships

For the promise of increased liquidity surrounding digital securities to come true, there need to be exchanges which support the assets.  This partnership looks to begin solving this, as Uniswap will facilitate secondary markets for RealT and their RealTokens.
RealT Announces Partnership with Uniswap Exchange

Strategic Investments + Raising Capital

Strategic investments can help a company expedite expansion, through acquiring foreign companies which already hold certain licensure.  They can also be viewed as an opportunity for investors, who are looking to gain exposure to companies which have the potential to influence their respective industries.  November saw OpenFinance announce their search for funding, along with BnkToTheFuture looking to make a splash in U.S. markets.

OpenFinance Seeks to Raise $50 Million

BnkToTheFuture Eyes U.S. Based STOs through BMO Capital Investment

Japanese Expansion

For the past few months, there appeared to be flurries of activity regarding expansion within certain regions.  While October saw an emphasis on European expansion, November saw the same within Japan.  This was made evident through companies, such as Tokai Tokyo and Securitize, increasing their presence within the nation.

Tokai Tokyo Financial Holdings to Bring Digital Securities to Japan

Securitize to Expand within Japan after Recent Investment

In The News

UKJT Views Digital Assets as Property under Current Regulations

As regulatory clarity is finally being afforded, companies can begin to tailor their actions, moving forward, with compliance in mind.  One of the more recent examples of an important decision shared with the industry, was that of the UKJT and their viewing digital securities as property.

Smartlands, an issuance platform operating in the UK, saw their CMO, Yaroslava Tkalich, comment on the development.

“As the first-ever UK-based platform specialising in tokenising the real economy assets on the Stellar blockchain, Smartlands enjoys substantial footing on the issue; with the clarification by a panel of judges and legal specialists, our almost two-year headstart turns into a major strategic advantage for years to come.”  Read Here

Vertalo Demonstrates Ease of Tokenization with Inaugural Webinar

There will come a point in time when companies, developing their solutions for the digital securities sector, will need to go live.  With much of the industry in a developmental stage, there is a perceived lack of simplicity among solutions.  Vertalo recently set out to dispel this notion, with a demonstration on how to tokenize assets through their platform. Read Here

Interviews

Masha & Xenia Vyazemskaya, Founders of ValueTokenized

In this exclusive interview, we speak with Masha and Xenia Vyazemskaya.  They are a duo who cofounded ValueTokenized, in addition to hosting a popular blockchain oriented podcast.  This discussion touches on both their expectations for the future, and the current industry's current state. Read More

Aaron Kaplan, CEO of Prometheum

Here, we had an exclusive conversation with Aaron Kaplan, where the features and decisions driving Prometheum were touched on.  From a custom Alternative Trading System, to Smart Security Tokens, learn what Prometheum is all about. Read More

Education

Firsthand Overview of Digital Securities Legislation in Malta

Our latest entry into our ‘Thought Leaders' series, sees Gene Deyev delve into the regulatory climate surrounding digital securities within the nation of Malta. Read Here

What are Digital Securities?

Real estate, venture capital, hedge funds, debt instruments, and more.  What constitutes a digital security? And what benefits can they afford? Read Here

Around the Web

Tokenized Real Estate Falters as another Hyped Deal Falls Apart – CoinDesk

While tokenized real estate holds great potential, there was bound to be a few hiccups along the way, as the industry found its footing.  One such hiccup was experienced recently, as a proposed deal between Fluidity and Propellr fell through.  While unfortunate, digital securities march forward.  Read More