Security Token News
The Best Countries to Launch Your Security Token
Security token offerings (STOs) are now commonplace in the cryptomarket. This unique fundraising strategy gives companies the ability to easily monitor, distribute, and regulate their campaign utilizing blockchain technology. STOs combine the best features of ICOs with the stringent regulations found in particular markets.
Aside from the benefits achieved by companies that use an STO strategy, there are also many reasons why an investor would seek out this type of investment. For one, STOs are far more transparent than an ICO. Companies involved in STOs must reveal sensitive company information including their address, upper management, and financials.
This information further protects investors from the ramped scamming that occurs in the ICO markets. One report published by the Statis Group showed that as much as 80-percent of the ICOs conducted in 2017 turned out to be scams. It’s exactly this fraudulent activity that led to the development of security tokens.
Now that security tokens are more popular, many countries want to host STO related businesses. In order to entice these businesses onto their shores, government officials are ready to make some serious concessions. Below are the best countries to launch your security token.
Malta
The island country of Malta is one of the premier locations to launch your security token. The country embraced blockchain technology from the start. The Maltese Prime Minister, Joseph Muscat, issued a public statement this year in which he acknowledged both the fears of regulators “and the fact” that this technology is quickly changing industries across the globe.
Malta via Master Explorer
Maltese officials are serious about their desire to be the leading blockchain country in the world. In the same statement, the Prime Minister stressed the importance of heading the digitization of the economy. He went as far as to state – “we must be the one that others copy.”
Malta is home to some of the largest security token projects currently in the works. In September the Malta Stock Exchange (MSX) announced a partnership with Binance, the world largest exchange by volume. Binance seeks to create a new security token platform in the country in the coming months.
Lithuania
Lithuania made some significant headway last year towards their goal of becoming EU’s security token capital. The country introduced security token friendly regulations. The country’s Minister of Finance issued broad security token regulations that covered the taxation, accounting, issuance, and compliance.
Blockchain companies send their project to a supervisor of financial markets and their office well send back a reply regarding the status of your token. Basically, Lithuanian officials do their version of the Howie Test to your project and give you a solid answer prior to your firm moving forward on their project.
Since Lithuania is a member of the EU, they gained a huge advantage by legalizing and regulating STOs in their country. Government officials hope to entice all of the EU to host their STOs in the country.
Switzerland
Switzerland has a long history as a financial safe haven. The country features low taxes and a crypto friendly environment. Switzerland was one of the first countries to adopt cryptocurrency regulations.
Switzerland has had a pro-crypto stance since 2014 when regulators released a report detailing the significance of cryptocurrencies. Interestingly, the report acknowledged cryptocurrencies handle the same tasks as money but stopped sort of labeling it legal tender due to the lack of an issuing country.
STOs submit their project to the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA). This regulatory body reviews each STO to confirm what designation the project falls under. Token labels include payment, utility, asset, and hybrid tokens.
Israel
Israel is home to numerous blockchain-based startups. The country leads the world in research & development according to a recent Bloomberg report. The report placed Israel in the number two spot, only behind South Korea in terms of innovators. Israel welcomed blockchain companies by cutting crypto taxes in half in October of this year.
According to a Cryptoslate report, Israel started 2018 with 88 blockchain startup in operation. In March 2018, Israel released an interim report which detailed the regulations for ICOs. The report was intended to strike a “balance between technological innovation and the protection of investors.”
The Israel Security Authority’s ex-head, Prof. Shmuel Hauser went as far as to recommend the country foster the creation of an international blockchain center on his retirement. This move ensures Israel remains a dominant force in the cryptomarket.
Canada
Canada continues to lead the North American crypto revolution. The Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) announced in February plans to launch a new securities token platform. The platform is based on the Ethereum Blockchain.
Toronto, Canada is the birthplace of Ethereum and the city continues to be a strong hub for crypto activity. Additionally, the platform allows users to launch their own security token easily. This decision is consistent with Toronto’s desire to be an industry leader.
According to the press release, the new security token platform is designed to give companies an alternative to the ICO space. Kabuni Technologies is the first security token scheduled for launch on the platform. The company also filed a prospectus with the British Columbia Securities Commission (BSCE).
Dubai
Dubai remains a powerful influence in the cryptomarket. The country was one of the first to issue a state-backed cryptocurrency back in October 2017. In February of this year, The Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) began to facilitate a market in cryptocurrencies.
The DMCC is a member of the Global Blockchain Council. The project initially began as part of the Dubai Smart City initiative. Speaking on cryptocurrencies, the project’s director, Franco Bosoni, discussed how he could see a commodities-like future for these digital assets. Dubai is now in the middle of developing a robust framework for the security token commodity to operate within.
Security Tokens – A Smart Move
The countries exemplify the innovative spirit and their decision to position their markets in line with the digitization of the economy is sure to pay off. The security token market continues to expand and these countries are now seeing the benefits of their pro crypto stance. You should expect more countries months.
This week saw more exciting developments in the Asian security token sector. CEZEX, Asia’s first licensed security token exchange, announced a strategic partnership with longtime blockchain hardware developers CoolBitx. The partnership strengthens CEZEX’s already pivotal role in the Asian market and demonstrates a desire for more security token integration in the region.
CEZEX
CEZEX is a Philippines-based security token exchange. The platform is unique in that it is the first licensed security token exchange in Asia. The platform is based in the Philippines Cagayan Economic Zone Authority and is the brainchild of the Asian Blockchain and Crypto Association (ABACA).
News of the CEZEX exchange first hit the market in January of this year when the platform’s backers announced plans to expand their operation into Hong Kong by 2020. This move places CEZEX in the ideal location for a security tokens exchange in the region. Hong Kong continues to see growth in their crypto sector ever since China banned most crypto-related activities back in August 2017.
CoolBitx
CoolBitx is an industry leader in the region. The firm made headlines way back in 2015 when it became the first company to introduce a Bluetooth cryptocurrency wallet. Since then, CoolBitx continued to expand its services. Today, the company offers a host of blockchain related products and services.
Charlie Lee Speaking on CoolBitx Wallet
For their part, CoolBitx will handle all security token custodial services for CEZEX. Security tokens differ from utility tokens in that they don’t permit anonymous transactions. Instead, security tokens must follow the strict securities laws already covering the market. CoolBitx will be responsible for verifying and completing tokenized securities exchange transactions. Their responsibilities extend after issuance and into secondary market transactions.
Secondary Market Concerns
While primary regulations are often integrated directly into a security token’s smart contract, secondary market compliance is a hot button issue in the market. Secondary market concerns hit a fevered pitch this week when the DTCC released their fair market practices paper which outlines how to deal with security tokens on the secondary market.
The intervention of the DTCC marks a turning point in tokenized securities. The DTCC handles securities exchanges for the traditional markets. The group handles quadrillions in securities exchanges yearly and their influence in the market can’t be understated. DTCC’s paper argued that security tokens need secondary compliance in order to maintain fair market practices currently in place. This is an argument echoed by many in the industry
ABACA Asian Blockchain and Crypto Association
ABACA continues to see expansion with this latest partnership. The group now includes multiple blockchain industry leaders. One of the group’s most prominent new members is the Taiwan-based Formosa Financial. Speaking on the group’s unprecedented growth, ABACA’s director, Mel Songco explained how the group creates a more “compliant and secure business environment.”
Security Tokens in Asia
Asia has always generated momentum in the cryptomarket. This latest maneuver demonstrates a desire by traditional investment firms to enter the blockchain space. You can expect to see more firms join ABACA in the coming months as the digital economic revolution continues.
AEP Integration
Today, a forth coming digital securities exchange, Archax, has announced a partnership with Quod Financial. This pairing will see Archax turn to Quod Financial for various services, ranging from smart-order routing, trade automation, to order management and more.
These services are made available through integration with Quod Financial’s ‘Adaptive Execution Platform’. Capabilities made possible through this platform will allow for Archax to effectively deliver their product to institutional investors this coming year. If they achieve this goal, Archax will become – with the help of Quod Financial – one of the first offerings of its type seen in the industry.
Commentary
In their press release, representatives from both companies took the time to elaborate on the development.
Mickael Rouillere, CTO of Quod Financial, stated,
“Archax will be the first venue to bring digital asset trading into the mainstream financial community. Existing crypto venues have been primarily retail driven, and so it has been incredibly challenging for our buy-side and sell-side clients to include any form of blockchain-based instruments in their portfolios as they have lacked a regulated and stable venue. Given the rigorous selection process, we are proud to have been selected for this market-changing project to bring both digital assets as well as our data-driven execution intelligence to a wider audience.”
Graham Rodford, CEO of Archax, stated,
“We wanted to find a best-of-breed partner with an established and proven trading platform used by both the buy-side and sell-side. And one that was ready to handle the complexities of digital assets. Quod’s open, scalable and robust platform fitted the bill perfectly and we are happy to be able to offer it to clients as one of the ways of accessing our exchange…A key decision when evaluating technology providers from the traditional world was to find a platform that could be fully customised to support the new and developing security token space. Quod’s design, using industry standard architecture, allows easier customisation when required. That, coupled with their experience of handling high throughput trading for many tier-one banks and an array of other established regulated clients, made them an ideal partner.”
Quod Financial
Quod Financial is an established company specializing in capital markets. Since their launch in 2004, the company has expanded from London to maintaining offices in New York, Paris, Hong Kong, and Dubai.
Company operations are overseen by CEO, Ali Pichvai.
Archax
This London based company was founded in 2018 by Graham Rodford, Matthew Pollard, and Andrew Flatt. The company is aiming for a 2019 launch of their platform, designed to act as an exchange for digital securities.
In Other News
Archax, in particular, has found themselves in our news feed various times in past months. They have had an impressive development period, resulting in investments from SPiCE VC among others. Check out the articles below to learn a little more about Archax.
SPiCE VC invests in Digital Securities Exchange, Archax
Archax – A Bridge to the Digital Economy
End-to-End
Various companies have made announcements detailing intended usage of token standards lately. As the development of various crowdfunding platforms in the digital securities sector continues, the time has come for many to choose what they feel is the most promising standard. With this in mind, seriesOne has just announced that they have partnered with Polymath.
This partnership will see seriesOne utilize the ST-20 token standard to issue and manage digital securities. The ST-20 protocol is based off of the Ethereum blockchain, and will allow for seriesOne to maintain compliance with global regulations governing the industry.
The Future is ST-20
For seriesOne, it was a simple choice to settle on ST-20. This token standard was one of the first to be developed specifically with digital securities in mind. As such, Polymath has had more time than most to develop, hone, and market their offering. This effort has seen the standard adopted by various companies, with seriesOne being the most recent.
Commentary
In their press release, the CEOs of each company took the time to express their thoughts on the announced partnership.
Michael Mildenberger, CEO of seriesOne, stated,
“Investors around the world trust Polymath, which was fundamental to our decision to work together…We are confident that working with the Polymath team using the ST-20 protocol will enhance the process of raising capital on our platform.”
Kevin North, CEO of Polymath, stated,
“Polymath is proud to work with innovative partners like seriesOne, who has fulfilled a specific demand for a turnkey financing portal for any fundraising process…We are thrilled to be the chosen technology standard for the seriesOne platform, and we look forward to demonstrating yet again how industry can work together to set a standard for creating and managing a successful Security Token Offering (STO).”
seriesOne
seriesOne is a crowdfunding platform, which specializes in the issuance, distribution, and management of digital securities. Through their platform, issuers are able to effectively, and efficiently, host security token offerings. The company is based out of Miami, and was founded in 2013.
Polymath
Polymath is a Canadian company, which maintains headquarters in Toronto. The company was established in 2017, and is spearheaded by CEO, Kevin North.
To date, Polymath and their token standards remain one of the most adopted solutions in the young world of digital securities. Their own utility token is available for trading on various industry leading cryptocurrency exchanges such as Poloniex and Bittrex.
In Other News
Each of these companies discussed here today have found their way into our headlines in recent months. For a look at what they have been up to recently, make sure to check out the few articles listed below!
Bithumb Announces New US Security Token
Digital Securities Consortium formed Between Industry Participants
Polymath Proves DEX Security Token Concept