Tokenized Securities Exchange Currency.com Launches to the Public

Belarus-based tokenized securities exchange Currency.com has announced it is launching to the public today after a spell in beta mode since January.

The platform – which claims to be the world's first such exchange – allows investors to directly trade and invest in tokenized financial instruments, with payment being made directly in bitcoin (BTC) or ethereum (ETH).

Currency.com has also launched an app for both iOS and Android allowing users to access the exchange on the go. Other features added for the launch include 50 percent margin close outs and selling at loss.

Ivan Gowan, CEO of Currency.com, said:

“The arrival of tokenized securities will completely change how investors can use their cryptocurrencies. Linking crypto to the price of stocks and shares provides a tangible way for holders of bitcoin and ethereum to access traditional financial markets."

The exchange says it has 1,000 tokenized securities on offer to investors worldwide (with the exclusion of those in the U.S. and on the Financial Action Task Force's blacklist of high-risk nations). Its U.K. Financial Conduct Authority and Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission-regulated sister firm Capital.com provides the underlying technology of the platform.

The exchange explained in the announcement that its tokenized products track the underlying market price of "common financial instruments, such as global equities, indices and commodities."

"For example, users can buy a token that mirrors the performance of an Apple share on the Nasdaq ... at the same economic costs and benefits of an Apple share," it explained.

According to a piece in TechCrunch, Currency.com has also today launched a tokenized Belarus government bond, with plans to add more government and corporate bonds going forward.

The firm has previously said it's a fully compliant blockchain businesses under Belarusian law and follows anti-money laundering and know-your-customer rules, as well as the EU's General Data Protection Regulations.

Interface image via Currency.com

As per the announcement, Currency.com is already trading over $20 million monthly, with 5,000 users having successfully registered for the beta announced on Jan. 15.

The platform may be the first to launch for trading in tokenized securities with cryptos as payment, but Gibraltar Stock Exchange announced that it would list tokenized stocks in early April. The Singapore Exchange said last summer that it was also planning a similar platform, while the Swiss SIX exchange has its in development already.

Currency photo by Keegan Houser on Unsplash