Cantor and Securitize have formed a partnership to bring blockchain infrastructure directly into initial public offerings and follow-on stock sales, creating a pathway for companies to raise capital and issue securities onchain.
Summary
- Cantor and Securitize will combine capital markets expertise with regulated infrastructure for blockchain-based public offerings.
- The partnership targets IPOs and follow-on offerings while keeping issuers within existing capital market frameworks.
- Securitize previously tokenized its own NYSE shares, providing an early model for issuer-sponsored digital securities.
Under the agreement announced on July 15, Cantor will provide its equity capital markets and trading capabilities. Securitize will handle the infrastructure used to issue, distribute and service the tokenized securities. Its SEC-registered broker-dealer affiliate, Securitize Markets, will also participate in the offering and settlement process.
Partnership takes tokenization into primary markets
The collaboration differs from many existing tokenized stock products because it brings blockchain technology into the original issuance process. Companies could conduct IPOs or later share offerings using onchain infrastructure while remaining within the established framework for regulated public offerings.
The companies said the approach could modernize ownership records, distribution and settlement. Carlos Domingo, co-founder and CEO of Securitize, said “public companies shouldn’t have to choose” between traditional capital markets and blockchain infrastructure. The partnership does not yet name a company planning to use the new model or provide a date for its first offering.
Securitize builds on its own tokenized public shares
The agreement follows Securitize’s own move into public markets. The company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the SECZ ticker on July 2 and simultaneously issued tokenized versions of its common shares on Solana and Avalanche.
Those blockchain-based shares represent the same SECZ common stock rather than a separate share class or synthetic product. Securitize had entered public markets through a business combination with Cantor Equity Partners II, a deal expected to deliver about $400 million in gross proceeds before expenses.
Wall Street expands its tokenization efforts
The Cantor partnership arrives as large financial institutions move more traditional securities onto blockchain networks. As reported by crypto.news, DTCC recently launched a tokenization initiative involving BlackRock, JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Vanguard and other major financial firms.
The New York Stock Exchange has also taken steps toward blockchain-based securities. As previously reported, the exchange proposed allowing eligible tokenized shares to trade alongside traditional securities while retaining the same rights, ticker and other ownership features. Securitize has separately worked with the NYSE on its planned tokenized securities platform.
Issuer-sponsored model keeps the actual security onchain
The Cantor-Securitize model centers on issuer-sponsored tokenization. Under the structure described by the companies, the blockchain token would represent the actual security rather than a wrapper, special-purpose vehicle or synthetic exposure linked to a stock.
Cantor Co-CEO and Global Head of Equities Pascal Bandelier said “tokenization is becoming part of mainstream capital markets.” The partnership now aims to apply that technology directly to capital raising rather than limiting it to funds or secondary-market trading.
Securitize has already expanded across institutional tokenization, including work with major asset managers and more than 650 funds, according to earlier crypto.news coverage. The new Cantor partnership extends that strategy into IPOs and follow-on offerings, although the companies have not yet announced the first issuer that will use the platform.
