A Month in Review – April 2019

Digital Securities

April saw overall industry development and adoption come at a steady pace.  As we close out the month, the digital securities sector remains ripe for the picking, as various companies jockey for positioning within it.  Here are a few articles, detailing how each of these companies have fared over the past 30 days.  As always, we bring you original, and exclusive, content through interviews and thought pieces.

Partnerships

Tokeny had a busy month, with multiple partnerships commencing along the way.  By providing potential issuers with a framework for token issuance, Tokeny appears to be gaining steam through adoption of their services.
Blockport STO Commences through Tokeny

Digital Securities Alliance formed by Tokeny and DLA Piper

Which Blockchain is the Right Blockchain?

As of today, companies are spoiled when it comes to their choice of blockchains.  There are a variety of potential winners that have the ability to underpin activity within digital securities.  This large selection of projects was evident this past month, as various companies each turned to different blockchains to service their needs.
Societe Generale SFH turns to Ethereum for Issuance of Security Token

Stellar Chosen by Wevest for Security Token Offering Platform

Licensure

SeedInvest, a New York based subsidiary of Circle, was granted a license to operate an ATS.  This licensing came from FINRA, a regulatory body, governing US based brokers/dealers.  While the licensing itself does not allow for secondary market trading of digital securities, this is a big step towards achieving that goal.

FINRA Grants ATS Licensure to SeedInvest

Secondary Markets

In a bid to tackle the goal of offering secondary market trading, AlphaPoint and Elevated Returns partnered this month.  Their plan is to ‘make illiquid assets liquid'.   What is unique about their plan, is that this secondary market will specifically trade digital securities backed by real-estate.

AlphaPoint and Elevated Returns to Develop Secondary Market

Regulation

Many nations around the world are actively working to establish clear regulations around the digital security sector. One such nation is the island nation of Mauritius. This month saw the Mauritius Financial Services Commission (FSC) issue guidance notes on their view of security token offerings.

Mauritius FSC Releases Guidance Note on Security Token Offerings

A Look Forward

The month of May stands to be another positive month for the industry. This coming month will see the launch of various STOs, which we will detail in the coming weeks. Further to this, the entire cryptocurrency industry has been experiencing a modest amount of growth, causing many to speculate that ‘crypto winter’ may be over. While we keep a focus on digital securities, the industry is still subject to influence by the overall markets, as both the digital securities sector and cryptocurrencies are intimately linked for the time being. This means that, for now, positive growth seen in one area will lead to positive growth in the other.