tZERO, a subsidiary of Overstock.com (NASDAQ: OSTK), RenGen and the Argon Group, today announced a joint venture to launch an Alternative Trading System (ATS) for the trading of security tokens issued in Initial Coin Offerings (ICO) in compliance with US SEC and FINRA regulations.
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“With ICO Blockchain offerings surpassing traditional early stage VC funding and U.S. regulators seeking legitimate venues to support security token offerings, with this JV tZERO continues to maintain its leading edge in blockchain financial technology,” said Patrick Byrne, CEO of Overstock. “tZERO has been at the forefront of the blockchain revolution for years, working closely with regulators since 2015 – launching the world’s first SEC compliant ATS for blockchain assets, the first private blockchain bond offering, and the first ever public issuance of a blockchain security,” he continued.
“Now, by combining our expertise with Argon's advisory services and RenGen's electronic trading, deep liquidity and market making capabilities, we are in a position to launch the only U.S. SEC compliant token trading venue,” concluded Dr. Byrne.
The SEC recently made it clear that any token with an income stream is a security, and that it may only be traded on an ATS or a National Securities Exchange.
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“We have long been advocating that issuing digital tokens as securities gives issuers and purchasers the greatest certainty about the legal regime that applies to the sale and the widest range of options to provide an attractive return for investors,” said Emma Channing, CEO and General Counsel of the Argon Group. “The key issue to date has been the need for an appropriate marketplace to provide liquidity. This joint venture between tZERO, RenGen and Argon has the potential to completely change the face of ICOs.”
“This Joint Venture allows us to continue achieving our goal of leveraging our existing U.S. equity market infrastructure and smart order routing technologies within the blockchain space,” said Joe Cammarata, President of tZERO.
“I have long believed that securitization is one of the best use cases for blockchain technology – and the transformative ICO market has proven so,” said Suleyman Duyar, Managing Partner, RenGen LLC. “Patrick Byrne and tZERO had great foresight in developing and registering the first digital ATS, and now, in partnership with Argon, an industry-leading ICO consultancy, we are excited to bring our high volume participation in Cryptocurrencies , technology and trading expertise to this promising venture. It is a very exciting time to be an investor in ICOs.”
