UK-based loan provider lets investors tokenize their fund with Securitize partnership

The bridge financing fund becomes the first U.K.-based company to establish such a partnership with a U.S. platform.

Whitehall Capital, a London-based loan provider, struck a deal with American digital asset securities marketplace Securitize to enable its investors to hold their units as blockchain tokens.

According to a Monday announcement, Whitehall investors will be able to use, buy and sell units in the Whitehall fund via the Securitize platform. After registering on Securitize, an investor will see their assets as a number of tokenized units, with the performance markers, investment reports and other valuable information included. They could also trade the units with other investors by posting a bid to buy or sell a certain quantity.

According to Anthony Bodenstein, managing partner at Whitehall Capital, the blockchain tokens, backed by loans that are secured by property assets, will deliver an 8%–10% income annually:

“As there is currently no secondary market for investments in Whitehall Capital, we anticipate investors will quickly take to the benefits of working with this easy-to-use and interactive platform and holding units in this way.”

Securitize will be responsible for issuing tokenized shares, delivering them to shareholders and tracking transaction activity on the blockchain.

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In September 2021, Securitize partnered with Arca Labs, the innovation arm of digital asset investment firm Arca, to provide a smart contract and issuance platform for the firm, starting with a tokenized fund named the Arca U.S. Treasury Fund. Arca Labs claims that it is the first treasury fund registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 to issue shares as digital assets via the blockchain.