Credit Suisse-Backed Taurus Partners with Aktionariat to Offer Tokenized SME Shares on Ethereum

Ethereum Tokenization

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Sead Fadilpašić

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Sead Fadilpašić

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September 26, 2024

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Taurus SA, a Swiss digital asset infrastructure provider backed by Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse, has partnered with Swiss equity tokenization platform Aktionariat AG to create the first regulated secondary market for tokenized shares of small and midsize enterprises (SMEs).

According to the press release, Taurus will support selected shares tokenized with Aktionariat on the Ethereum blockchain.

At the same time, Aktionariat will offer a path for client companies to start trading on the Taurus Digital Exchange (TDX).

The companies become eligible for TDX admission as they grow in market capitalization and match specified criteria, Taurus said.

The collaboration will go live in November.

With that step, the first Aktionariat-tokenized SMEs will begin trading on TDX.

Meanwhile, the partnership combines Taurus’ institutional-grade trading technology with Aktionariat’s proficiency in tokenizing Swiss companies’ equity, it added.

The goal is to “increase liquidity and unlock value for tokenized SMEs and their shareholders by providing access to TDX’s network of banks, professional investors, and retail clients.”

Additionally, Taurus CMO Victor Busson commented that the collaboration helps create a strong ecosystem for issuers and investors. It “demonstrates how tokenization can increase liquidity and accessibility for the private capital market.”

RealUnit Schweiz is Among the First Issuers

Taurus argues that buying private security should be simple and “as straightforward as purchasing a book online.” This includes equity, debt, or other assets, including funds and real estate –

Thereforre, this latest partnership with Aktionariat matches Taurus’ broader vision of digitizing private markets and making private equity more accessible to investors, it said.

With that in mind, following the partnership, one of the first tokenized SMEs to be admitted for trading on TDX is the real-estate-focused investment company RealUnit Schweiz AG.

RealUnit tokenized its shares with Aktionariat in April 2022. It has enabled investors to hold the shares in any Ethereum-based wallet.

Additionally, the press release said that the company enabled a first in the Swiss capital market. Namely, it gave investors a choice between classic bearer shares and registered shares as tokens.

Taurus CMO Victor Busson commented that the securities firm is “particularly excited about the potential for companies like RealUnit to leverage our platform, showcasing the tangible benefits of tokenization for both issuers and investors.”

Per Taurus, several more companies will join in 2025 with the expansion of the tokenized SMEs ecosystem.

RealUnit CEO Dani Stüssi added that this is one of the first Swiss companies to offer tokenized instruments.

Trading on TDX is “a natural next step” in the company’s “journey to increase accessibility and liquidity” for its investors and to open up access to actively managed real asset investments.

Meanwhile, more than 30,000 registered shareholders and 70 issuers use Aktionariat, the company said.

Its product suite encompasses a portfolio app for investors, an automated shareholder registry for issuers, and web-based tools to “organize the relations” between the two.

Per CEO Murat Ögat, Aktionariat wants to enable companies to leverage the power of blockchain-based financing.

“While we already offer tools to enable the sale and limited informal trading of security tokens, there is a lack of licensed marketplaces for security tokens. Taurus fills this gap with its digital marketplace,” Ögat concluded.