This Barbados-based firm will allow people to invest in stock exchanges

By Puja Sharma

Tokenise, a Barbados-based stock exchange for tokenized securities, will launch in Q1, 2022. People of Barbados can join the Tokenise community and register for an account to become one of the first to own a piece (or token) of an iconic asset.

Barbados has become the world’s newest republic Nearly 400 years after the country became a British colony. The Caribbean island nation removed Queen Elizabeth II as the head of the state in a ceremony attended by Prince Charles.

Through Tokenise, for the very first time, people can now participate in fractional ownership or royalties by investing in security tokens on a stock exchange fully regulated in Barbados. Fractional ownership allows investors to beneficially own a piece of the physical assets, such as buildings, ships, racehorses, and land. Royalty tokens – not previously available to trade on an exchange – unlock access to musicians, artists, and filmmakers and a huge range of opportunities for fans to own a slice of the income-bearing revenue.

What do they do?

Tokenise Group was founded by a team of financial services, technology, and security experts, led by Mike Kessler, Chief Executive Officer, who has extensive experience in asset management, corporate development, and start-ups.

Investors can instantly and effortlessly deposit their money to buy the tokens that are right for them, with all trades executed through a regulated brokerage and on the regulated Tokenise Stock Exchange with added security and anti-money laundering (AML) checks. Unlike NFTs and cryptocurrencies which are currently traded on unregulated markets.

“All of the investors will be required to pass stringent KYC and AML checks that are in line with FCA standards. We are adopting the highest common denominator standard so that it is acceptable around the world for all jurisdictions. All investors would have to utilize a brokerage and we have our brokerage to facilitate direct market access. We do, however, have to separate the entities from a regulatory perspective as the exchange is unable to work directly with investors.” Mike Kessler, Tokenise Founder and CEO, said.

Access to these assets has long been the preserve of the expert and major funds, however, at a time when consumers are seeking greater financial inclusion and control, Tokenise plans to democratize ownership for all, empowering everyone to participate in the new world of security tokens easily, safely and affordably.

Ownership and trading of securities tokens will be possible through a web-based brokerage platform in Q1 2022, closely followed by an app in Q2 2022. Users will be able to easily review token offerings with charting and analytics to make informed investment and trading decisions. Investors can have peace of mind knowing that Tokenise is managed by seasoned experts.

Tokenise is set to be among the world’s first fully regulated global stock exchanges for security tokens. Tokenise is opening the door to the democratization of ownership, where anyone can own and trade a piece of what they love, as well as unlocking access to previously untapped revenue for asset owners and artists.

Through Tokenise, everyone can now participate in fractional ownership or royalties by investing in security tokens. Fractional ownership allows investors to own a piece of the physical assets they love, such as buildings, ships, and land. Royalty tokens – not previously available to trade on an exchange – unlock access to artists and artworks so that fans can own a slice of the income-bearing revenue.

Way Forward

“We are fiat to securities exchange, and at some point in the future, we will provide a gateway for those that wish to convert their crypto to fiat to invest in tokenized securities,” Kessler said.

In terms of the asset classes, the firm can deal with tokenizing all forms of security. This can include traditional assets including equities, funds, bonds, and we are most excited about the new asset classes of fractional ownership of physical assets (and potentially digital) whereby any item can be made into millions of fractions. This could include a Picasso painting to a building, or a racehorse to a barrel of whisky.

“Royalty tokens are the other asset class that we will be focussing upon. These give the token holders a contractual right of income, this can be applied to any type of business, but imagine if Rhianna tokenized her next album and raised capital from a percentage of her 200m followers and shared the revenue with them on a 50:50 basis,” he added.

Now is the time due to advances in technology, social media, and the sharing of information and assets. The sharing economy enables people to collectively join together and own and trade assets that on their own they could never have exposure to. The mass democratization of assets and the ability to have financial inclusion has advanced with technology as well as more accommodating regulators who are opening up to new technologies and business practices.