SBI Holdings makes significant investment in Securitize

Securitize, a regulatory compliant digital securities issuer, has received investment from Japanese conglomerate SBI Holdings, according to a report by Crowdfund Insider.

The investment, rumoured to be a “seven-figure sum”, will be used to support the development of Securitize’s platform, which aims to “modernise the legacy securities industry”.

Securitize takes preexisting private securities, such as equity or bonds, and secures them on public blockchains. Using its proprietary ‘DS Protocol’, Securitize enables secondary market trading of digitised assets and complies with all regulatory requirements.

These new digitised assets, widely referred to as ‘security tokens’, are being hailed by many as the next stage of issuing and trading the equity or debt of corporate entities.

SBI Holdings joins a host of other investors in backing Securitize, including Blockchain Capital, Coinbase Ventures, and Xpring – which is Ripple’s own innovation foundation.

In the press release shared with Crowdfund Insider, SBI Holdings CEO Yoshitaka Kitao explained his commitment to the future of digital assets:

“The SBI Group strongly believes in the future of digital securities. Securitize is a leading player in this industry and we look forward to fully supporting them in the future.”

Carlos Domingo, CEO and founder of Securitize, was similarly pleased to be working alongside SBI Holdings, citing Japan’s economic strength and clear regulatory environment as key attractions for digital asset companies.

SBI Holdings

SBI Holdings, based in Tokyo, Japan, has taken a proactive approach to investing and developing blockchain technology solutions.

Last week, the company announced a partnership with Ripple through its subsidiary company SBI Ripple Asia.

SBI Ripple Asia has launched the first blockchain-based remittance service between Japan and Vietnam, which leverages RippleNet’s settlement platform.

Similarly, SBI Holdings has also pioneered the use of the Ripple-powered ‘MoneyTap’ app, which lets users pay for goods using only their phone number or QR code.

In 2018, SBI Holdings also announced an investment in Japanese-based exchange ‘LastRoots’, which was seen as a controversial move by some, as LastRoots had recently been handed a business improvement order by the Japanese Financial Services Authority.