Cryptix announced that it had received regulatory approval to launch Equito
By Joy Dumasia
Cryptix, the FinTech Web 3.0 venture builder, announced that it had received regulatory approval to launch Equito, a fully regulated, all-in-one investor platform designed to unlock new financing channels for European start-ups and SMEs (small to medium-sized enterprises). With Equito’s one-stop-shop fundraising solution, companies can raise between 1 and 50 million euros via a cost-effective crowdfunding platform.
Equito offers a more effective model of crowdfunding that enables companies to raise money from an ideal crowd of investors, those who already understand and trust the brand. These include the companies’ loyal customers, business clubs interested in a particular industry, financial institutions and more, forming a mix of retail and institutional investors.
Luka Gubo, CEO of Equito, said: “It’s a well-known fact that corporate finance across Europe has long neglected smaller businesses and start-ups. From prohibitively high fees to excessive complexity, both prospective investors and smaller businesses have had no feasible way to work together in building a strong SME economy. This is why we built Equito to bridge this gap by unlocking access to new investment opportunities and sources of capital.”
Financing models like bank loans, venture capital or traditional crowdfunding have historically failed to meet the demands of smaller businesses in Europe compared to the US and Asian markets. Poor access to SME investment opportunities, an excessively complex crowdfunding market, low profitability of crowdfunding models, and limited resources for investment research have left businesses and prospective investors at a loss about how best to source or offer financing.
This is the challenge that Equito’s innovative crowdfunding model solves, connecting the businesses with the right crowds of investors. For investors, Equito provides a clear and simple-to-use digital investment platform that outlines key background information on businesses’ growth strategies and historical performance. It unlocks an entirely new channel of affordable crowdsourced financing for businesses, stripping away the unnecessary fees and complexity of other funding models.
Bernhard Koch, CEO and Founder Cryptix Group, said: “Equito marks a huge step forward for the European SME landscape, prospective investors, and the Cryptix project. At the core of our Cryptix mission is solving real issues facing real people with Equito, we are enriching our ecosystem with a solution to the lack of SME investment, improving the lives of many people across Europe as well as the growth prospects and competitiveness of businesses.”
Equito has been awarded a MiFID II license (Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II license, a pan-European license for investment firms) in Slovenia, making it a fully-regulated investment platform. The roll-out of the Equito platform is divided into two phases:
Phase one begins with Equito’s MiFID II license, marking the launch of the Crowdfunding platform and connecting SMEs across Europe and prospective investors.
Phase two, set to roll out later this year, will expand the Equito platform into public markets, providing investors with options to invest in traditional stock exchanges and other asset classes, all within the Equito framework. The focus will also be extended to real estate projects.
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