Sony Financial Ventures makes a strategic investment in Securitize

Capital infusion from Sony Financial Group’s venture capital arm marks the latest endorsement of Securitize and its underlying technology

Securitize, the trusted solution for modernizing capital markets by enabling digital securities, has secured a strategic fundraise from SFV・GB L.P, a corporate venture capital fund managed by Sony Financial Ventures (SFV) and Global Brain. The investment is an extension of Securitize’s latest funding round which raised more than $14 million from backers including MUFG Innovation Partners, Nomura Holdings, and Santander InnoVentures, as well as early investors like Blockchain Capital.

Securitize is modernizing capital markets by enabling digital securities, making them easier to own, simpler to manage, and faster to trade. These digital securities can represent various asset classes including equity, fund stakes, fixed income, and real estate. Securitize’s DS Protocol, which manages secondary trading and corporate actions, is a full-stack technology solution with the highest adoption rate in the financial services industry.

“We are pleased to add Sony Financial Ventures as a strategic investor in Securitize,” said Carlos Domingo, Co-Founder, and CEO of Securitize. “The investment validates Securitize as one of the most important architects of digital capital markets while adding another marquee name to a growing list of companies who are investing in digital securities as the future of global capital markets.”

Sony Financial Ventures is part of Sony Financial Group, a financial services group comprising the holding company Sony Financial Holdings Inc. and its subsidiaries including Sony Life Insurance Co., Ltd., Sony Assurance Inc. and Sony Bank Inc. It provides funding for consumer and enterprise-facing businesses in various stages across North America, Europe, and Asia, and is specialized in backing revolutionary technologies such as artificial intelligence & machine learning, robotics, loT and visualization.

“Securitize is expertly leveraging blockchain technology to create a new asset class with astonishing abilities,” said Junji Nakamura, Director, and Member of the Board of SFV. “We at Sony Financial Group are excited to take on this challenge with Securitize and create new value together.”

The investment signifies Japan’s growing interest in digital securities. Last year, MUFG formed a 22-company research consortium to explore the use of blockchain and security tokens for automatic securities settlement. Securitize also received a seven-figure sum investment from SBI Investment, the asset management subsidiary of Tokyo-listed SBI Holdings, in November.

Tokenization’s transformative potential for securities and their function in capital markets is further validated by Securitize’s other backers. The firm has secured additional strategic investment from the likes of Coinbase Ventures, Global Brain, KDDI Open Innovation Fund, Mitusi Fudosan’s 31 Ventures, Ripple’s Xpring, and SBI Investment.

About Securitize

Securitize is modernizing capital markets by enabling digital securities, making them easier to own, simpler to manage, and faster to trade. Securitize’s innovative DS Protocol has the highest adoption rate in the industry and enables seamless, fully-compliant trading across multiple markets simultaneously. Multiple Securitize-powered digital securities are already trading globally on public marketplaces with many more in the pipeline. For more information, please visit www.securitize.io.

About Sony Finance

Sony Financial Ventures is a member of the Sony Financial Group, which operates mainly insurance and banking businesses in Japan. Sony Financial Ventures invests in startups that have a competitive edge in Fintech or in other fields, aiming to strengthen its existing businesses through collaboration, as well as to develop new businesses.

Photo by Franck V. on Unsplash

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