Cantor Fitzgerald and Securitize are joining forces to let public companies raise capital onchain. The collaboration, announced this week, creates a direct pipeline for issuing tokenized securities through blockchain-based IPOs. It's a concrete step toward moving traditional capital markets onto distributed ledgers.
How the partnership works
Cantor, a Wall Street heavyweight with decades of experience in underwriting and distribution, is pairing with Securitize, a platform that specializes in tokenizing real-world assets. Together they'll offer a service that lets public companies bypass some of the legacy plumbing of stock issuance. Instead of paper certificates or even standard electronic book-entry, shares will live on a blockchain as tokenized securities.
The firms say the process will still comply with securities laws. Securitize already holds relevant registrations with the SEC and FINRA. Cantor brings the institutional distribution network. The result is a hybrid: a traditional IPO structure but with onchain settlement and ownership.
What tokenized securities mean for public companies
For a public company, the appeal is speed and efficiency. Issuing shares onchain can cut out intermediaries, reduce settlement times from days to minutes, and lower costs. The tokenized format also makes it easier to track shareholders and automate corporate actions like dividends or voting through smart contracts.
Securitize has already tokenized private securities for firms like SpaceX and Robinhood. This new pathway extends that capability to public companies. The collaboration effectively builds a bridge between the legacy IPO system and the onchain world — companies don't have to choose one or the other.
This isn't the first attempt to put IPOs on a blockchain. But it's one of the most credible, given Cantor's role as a primary dealer in U.S. Treasuries and its existing crypto footprint — the firm runs a Bitcoin financing business and has been a key partner for Tether. Securitize, meanwhile, has been steadily accumulating regulatory approvals and partnerships.
The timing matters. Regulators in the U.S. and Europe have been signaling openness to tokenized securities, even as they crack down on unregistered crypto offerings. A compliant onchain IPO structure could accelerate institutional adoption.
No timeline has been set for the first tokenized IPO under this partnership. The firms are still building out the technical and legal framework. But the infrastructure is now in place. The next step is finding a public company willing to be the first.
