Securitize raises $48M to expand into digital asset securities market
Securitize announced that its Series B fundraising round was oversubscribed, with $48 million raised from new and existing investors. The convergence of venture capital and asset management signals a consensus on the future adoption of digital asset securities and this technology continuing to grow.
The raise also comes before the anticipated launch of Securitize Markets, a marketplace designed for the trading of digital asset securities, providing a path to liquidity for the private capital markets.
The raise was co-led by leaders of venture capital and asset management, including Securitize’s largest investor, Blockchain Capital and investment funds managed by Morgan Stanley Tactical Value. They were joined by new investors including Ava Labs, IDC Ventures, Migration Capital, NTT Data and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank.
The round also included strong interest from existing investors wishing to increase their investments in Securitize, with Blockchain Ventures, Borderless Capital, Global Brain, Mouro Capital, Ripio, Ripple and SPiCE VC ultimately joining. With this raise, Securitize is also the first blockchain company to receive major institutional funding from North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.
Of note, participants in this Series B investment round–as well as previous and existing Securitize investors–will receive their shares in the form of digital asset securities issued by Securitize’s platform. These investors in Securitize will then join the community of over 300,000 verified investors on Securitize’s platform who have, in just four years, supported over 150 companies.
Building upon this successful capital raise, Securitize will add Pedro Teixeira, Co-Head of Morgan Stanley Tactical Value, to its Board of Directors, where he will join Securitize co-founder and CEO Carlos Domingo, Securitize co-founder and President Jamie Finn, SPiCE VC co-founder and Managing Partner Tal Elyashiv, and Blockchain Capital co-founder and Managing Partner Brad Stephens.
Securitize is the leader in digital asset securities, bringing together businesses seeking to raise capital with individuals and institutions seeking to invest in the private capital markets. To bring investors and opportunities together, Securitize has pioneered a fully-digital, regulatory compliant, end-to-end platform for issuing digital asset securities, managing them and facilitating their trading to provide liquidity.
The successful Series B raise builds upon Securitize’s recent launch of an asset management subsidiary, Securitize Capital, and its two inaugural cryptocurrency yield funds. The round also follows Securitize enabling digital wallet company Exodus to raise a record $75 million in Reg A+ compliant Series A funding, and a build-out of new executive hires across sales, marketing, operations, and legal/compliance.
“Securitize developed incredible partners during our Series A round last year, both in venture capital and at major European and Japanese financial institutions. That they have been joined in our Series B by a major U.S. investment bank and the largest trust bank in Japan, as well as additional top VCs, demonstrates that confidence in the adoption of digital asset securities is increasingly mainstream,” said Securitize CEO and co-founder Carlos Domingo.
“Blockchain Capital has been a believer in digital asset securities ever since we issued one of the first security tokens in 2017 and Securitize, who we were an early investor in, has emerged as the unquestioned leader in this growing space,” said Blockchain Capital co-founder and Managing Partner Brad Stephens, who also serves on Securitize’s Board of Directors. “Blockchain Capital is proud to build upon our early investment in Securitize and to partner with Morgan Stanley and other leaders who understand the central role Securitize will play in the future of alternative assets and digital asset securities.”
“Our first investment in the blockchain industry is the leading digital asset securities firm, Securitize. Securitize is well-recognized for pioneering the securitization of digital asset securities on the blockchain, and for its fully-compliant and fully-digital end-to-end to solution that enables private companies to raise capital, and for investors to find a path to liquidity,” said Pedro Teixeira, Co-Head of Morgan Stanley Tactical Value Investing. “We make long-term investments in businesses and asset classes that are ahead of the curve. Our investment in Securitize is a sign that we believe in the growth and adoption of digital asset securities.”
“On top of the security token issuance we announced in March, our investment in Securitize further strengthens our partnership with one of the most commercially-used and technologically-advanced digital asset security solutions,” said Kazuteru Wakao, Executive Officer and General Manager of the Wholesale Business Planning Department for Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank. “A stronger relationship with Securitize positions SMTB well to lead the digitization of financial services in Japan and beyond, as well as to bring cutting-edge, highly value-added products and services to our customers.”