ZURICH and LENZBURG, Switzerland, Dec. 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — SIX Digital Exchange (SDX) has successfully tokenized private shares of Aktionariat AG on its regulated blockchain-based Central Securities Depository (CSD), with Berner Kantonalbank (BEKB) serving as the issuer agent and custodian. This transaction demonstrates that shares issued on the Ethereum blockchain can be transformed from ledger-based securities into intermediated, bankable securities on a regulated platform. This will facilitate custody and increase transferability of digital securities available to investors in private companies.

SDX’s CSD provides secure bank custody and eliminates the need for shareholders to manage their private keys for ledger-based securities. These digital assets can be stored alongside traditional assets, such as listed shares, ETFs, and structured products, allowing investors to use their existing bank security deposit accounts. Additionally, issuers can benefit by attracting investors who do not wish to maintain public blockchain custody solutions for their private securities.

After this initial project BEKB, Aktionariat and SDX will work together to enhance the solution and explore ways to bring it to the market. 

Nicola Plain, CEO of Aktionariat states: “With this transaction, the involved players from the traditional finance world are proving that they are open to the integration of assets that were originally issued on an open, permissionless blockchain. An important step towards building a bridge between decentralized finance and traditional finance.”

“The success of this initiative is expected to pave the way for future collaborations with BEKB, Aktionariat, and their respective customer bases. It also aligns with SDX’s strategy to engage with private market ecosystem partners and the Swiss SME investor community,” adds Alexander Kech, Head Digital Securities at SDX.

About SDX   

SDX is the first fully regulated financial market infrastructure for the issuance, trading, settlement, and custody of digital assets. SDX is licensed by Switzerland’s financial market regulator, FINMA, to operate as a stock exchange and central security depository (CSD) on distributed ledger technology (DLT). As part of the SIX Group, SDX is subject to the Group’s high quality and security standards covered under Swiss law. 

About Aktionariat

Aktionariat offers a simple and modern solution for raising fresh equity, while enabling small and medium-sized companies to manage their shareholders, automatically keeping the associated share register up to date, and conducting digital votings in the course of corporate events.

SOURCE SDX (SIX Digital Exchange)