Your bank is using your money. You’re getting the scraps.WATCH FREE

Galaxy Digital to tokenize its SEC-registered shares on Solana

In this post:

  • Galaxy Digital has tokenized its Class A shares on Solana through Superstate’s Opening Bell.
  • The $9 billion crypto investment firm, founded by Mike Novogratz, says the move bridges traditional equities with blockchain infrastructure.
  • Regulators in Europe highlight tokenization of real-world assets as a priority, with the European Commission set to present proposals in December.

Galaxy Digital has become the first Nasdaq-listed company to tokenize its shares on the Solana blockchain, joining the $64.7 billion valued real world asset tokenization market.

The cryptocurrency investment firm founded by billionaire Mike Novogratz announced Wednesday that its Class A common shares will now be available in tokenized form on Solana. The company’s shares are listed on both the Nasdaq Global Select Market and the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker GLXY.

Through a partnership with fintech firm Superstate, Galaxy’s stock can now be fractionalized and traded on-chain via Opening Bell, a platform for tokenizing public companies. It is different from synthetic products or derivatives because the tokenization is embedded in Galaxy’s actual Class A shares.

Galaxy Class A equities now part of RWA tokenization market

Superstate, which will serve as the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) registered transfer agent for the initiative, said the system will help investors to access traditional equities through the transparency and programmability of blockchain technology.

See also  Reikon Games, Developer of Ruiner, Faces Significant Workforce Layoffs

“We’re proud to be working with Superstate to help lay the groundwork for an onchain capital market that bridges traditional equities with next-generation infrastructure,” chief executive Novogratz said in a statement. “Our goal is a tokenized equity that brings the best of crypto – transparency, programmability, and composability, into the traditional world.”

Galaxy mulled the tokenization for its shares in mid-August, disclosing that it had engaged with Superstate to manage the process. Superstate sent a letter to the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s Crypto Task Force in April, proposing the creation of a framework to bring Wall Street stocks on-chain.

Wednesday’s announcement could be the launch of the entire project.

The capital market institution, valued at nearly $9 billion, first listed its shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange in 2018 before expanding to Nasdaq earlier this year. It is now part of a list of public companies whose stocks have been made available in tokenized form. 

Platforms such as Backed Finance’s xStocks have already tokenized more than 60 publicly traded companies on Solana, BNB Chain, and Tron. Tokenized equities such as Netflix, Meta Platforms, and Nvidia are available on centralized exchanges, including Kraken and Bybit, as well as on decentralized exchanges built on Solana. 

Yesterday, xStocks said it had expanded its tokenized equity offerings to Ethereum, broadening access to investors who use that blockchain.

See also  Trump's second NFT collection generates millions within hours

Financial regulator happy with stock tokenization

The development comes as regulators globally are in discussions about how blockchain tokenization could be viable for financial markets. 

Speaking at the FintechOn Summit in Taipei on Tuesday, Peter Kerstens, an adviser to the European Commission, said regulators should focus less on expanding the existing Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) law and more on enabling the tokenization of real-world assets.

Kerstens said the European Commission is preparing proposals in December as part of the Savings and Investment Union (SIU), an initiative to create a pan-European financial market. 

“In building the Saving and Investment Union, we also want to exploit or make use of distributed ledger technology as far as we can,” Kerstens said.

He proposed that tokenization of financial instruments such as equities, debt, and derivatives should be the focus for regulators.

“Rather than trying to correct or improve MiCA, I think we should focus on something much bigger, much more important, which is the tokenization of financial instruments,” the adjunct Vanderbilt Law School professor reckoned. “Personally, I am convinced that the financial markets will end up being tokenized to a very large extent.”

Your keys, your card. Spend without giving up custody and earn 8%+ yield on your balance with Ether.fi Cash.

Share link:

Disclaimer. The information provided is not trading advice. Cryptopolitan.com holds no liability for any investments made based on the information provided on this page. We strongly recommend independent research and/or consultation with a qualified professional before making any investment decisions.

Most read

Loading Most Read articles...

Stay on top of crypto news, get daily updates in your inbox

Editor's choice

Loading Editor's Choice articles...

- The Crypto newsletter that keeps you ahead -

Markets move fast.

We move faster.

Subscribe to Cryptopolitan Daily and get timely, sharp, and relevant crypto insights straight to your inbox.

Join now and
never miss a move.

Get in. Get the facts.
Get ahead.

Subscribe to CryptoPolitan