Securitize and Computershare have announced a partnership that enables U.S. publicly listed companies to issue equity directly on a blockchain through Issuer-Sponsored Tokens (ISTs), giving shareholders a new digital form of holding securities.
Key Partnership Details
The agreement, signed on April 29, 2026, allows U.S. public issuers to include ISTs alongside existing shares as part of their issued capital. Computershare, which serves more than 25,000 companies and employs over 11,000 people globally, will act as the transfer agent for client ISTs, processing corporate actions alongside traditional directly registered holdings.
Carlos Domingo, co-founder and CEO of Securitize, emphasized that ISTs are not derivative tokens sitting on top of underlying shares; they create direct equity ownership in token form without altering the underlying equity itself. “By partnering with the largest transfer agent in the world, we’re helping to create the optimum pathway to tokenization for listed U.S. companies,” Domingo stated.
Securitize's Regulatory and Scale Advantages
As of April 2026, Securitize manages more than $4 billion in assets under management (AUM). The company is registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), operates an Alternative Trading System (ATS), a registered transfer agent, and holds authorization under the EU DLT Pilot Regime. This makes Securitize the only firm licensed to run regulated digital-securities infrastructure in both the U.S. and the European Union.
Earlier in 2026, Securitize announced a proposed business combination with Cantor Equity Partners II, Inc. (Nasdaq: CEPT), which remains pending. The firm was also named to the 2026 Forbes Top 50 Fintech list.
Computershare's Integration Path
Computershare, founded in 1978 and listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) under ticker CPU, will integrate IST processing into its existing shareholder management workflows. This allows corporate actions to be executed across both tokenized and traditional holdings from a single infrastructure.
Ann Bowering, CEO of Issuer Services at Computershare North America, explained that ISTs were designed to operate within the current regulatory environment, maintaining independence and oversight expected by issuers and regulators. Participating issuers retain control over their capital structure, while shareholders can choose to consolidate digital holdings in a self-custody wallet. Direct communication between issuers and shareholders, including dividend payments and other corporate actions, remains intact.
Flexibility and Future Interoperability
The agreement does not require issuers to replace existing share structures. Companies can add ISTs alongside shares held in the Direct Registration System (DRS), giving shareholders a choice rather than forcing a conversion. Interoperability between ISTs and broader market infrastructure is expected to develop over time as more issuers and platforms adopt the standard.
Securitize works with asset managers such as Apollo, BlackRock, BNY, Hamilton Lane, KKR, and VanEck on tokenized fund offerings, underscoring its position in the growing digital asset ecosystem.