Security token offerings began to gain popularity in 2017, gradually replacing ICOs. The number of STOs increased significantly in 2018 and is growing steadily every year. Over $1,500,000,000 has been raised in all time. Importantly, the number of STOs that are successful is also growing. However, many companies are still skeptical about this fundraising tool and are in no hurry to open up new prospects for themselves.
Security token offering explained
Initially, ICO (Initial Coin Offering) was used to receive investments in the cryptocurrency world. However, this method had a number of drawbacks, and in many respects, it did not live up to the expectations of both the crypto community and regulators. All parties had to look for alternative ways. One of them was the Security token offering (STO) procedure.
STO is a combination of legal and technical aspects, due to which the tokenization of assets of legal entities is carried out. Thanks to tokenization, securities are digitized and turned into a token called a security token. Such digital assets have a number of features, including:
- Regulation. Security tokens are regulated like securities. The general rule is that if the value of a token comes from a particular company or external asset, it will be given the status of a security token. The Howey test is used to determine the status.
- The issue is carried out by a private company. While the shares of public companies are listed on the stock exchange, the securities of private companies are not traded there. Previously, such organizations could place their securities only after an IPO, but for this, it was necessary to become a public company that required time and money. STO allows you to make securities tradable much faster and easier.
Asset tokenization is a technology that allows us to change the world of securities for the better. STO has a number of advantages both for markets in general and for specific companies.
What are the benefits for the markets?
Today, companies seek to place their shares on the stock exchange since their economic success largely depends on this. However, conducting an IPO forces organizations to spend a lot of resources – both money and time. Therefore, companies are looking for alternative ways. One of the main alternatives is DeFi protocols such as AMM (Automated Market-Making).
In fact, AMM replaces stock brokers. The main task of a broker is to mediate between the seller and the buyer. The broker buys securities in order to sell them for a profit. AMMs work a little differently. Instead of the classic market, liquidity pools are used here. Thanks to this, it is possible to carry out the exchange of digital assets in automatic mode without authorization. This is very convenient for investors who can make transactions quickly and with reliable protection.
Thus, tokenized assets allow companies to trade securities without changing their status from private to public. It is much easier and more convenient for investors to buy and sell such assets. As a result, markets become more liquid.
Benefits for issuing companies
Companies that issue security tokens benefit a lot. First of all, they get a wider range of investors. With easier access to buying tokenized assets than classic securities, a company can attract many more interested investors without an upper or lower budget limit. In this case, it is not necessary to change the form of ownership.
Tokenized assets have great liquidity. Because of this, they are of great interest to investors, which means that companies can raise funding faster and easier. Risks are also reduced thanks to the solutions that blockchain offers. For example, the blockchain provides a high degree of protection of information encrypted in tokens, and smart contracts make it possible to guarantee the fulfillment of obligations by all parties.
Issuing companies can save a lot of money. Issuing security tokens costs much less than conducting an IPO (that starts with a million dollars and usually takes almost a year). In addition, it is possible to reduce the number of intermediaries or completely abandon them during the STO.
Security token offerings are becoming more and more popular. However, many companies are not yet ready to conduct an STO due to a number of difficulties. First of all, it is connected with legal nuances. Some states have already enacted legislation regulating STOs, but in a number of states, the legal framework is still missing or imperfect.
The cryptocurrency industry as a whole is experiencing difficulties in regulation, and such nuances as decentralized exchange and P2P transactions are often not mentioned at all in the laws.
In order to be on the safe side and ensure that your STO is compliant with the regulations, as well as to conduct a competent marketing campaign and raise the target amount, it is necessary to start the process by consulting with the company that conducts the tokenization of client assets. One such company is Stobox. During the consultation phase, you define the target audience, the purpose of your STO, discuss technical details, legal issues, and more. Full support of STO by a reliable company allows you to forget about possible problems and be confident in the success of the STO.
At this stage, the field of decentralized finance is not yet widespread enough. However, this takes time. Many technologies fail to immediately win the trust of investors. Therefore, providers and issuers of tokenized assets should focus on informing the public. It is important to hold various educational events, conferences, and even entire educational campaigns to increase engagement. Despite some nuances with STO, it is still one of the most promising and reliable ways for companies of any size to get additional funding. If you still haven't explored the full benefits of STO, now is the time!
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