Key Takeaways:
Securitize and Computershare launched Issuer-Sponsored Tokens, letting U.S.-listed companies put equity directly onchain. Computershare serves 25,000-plus companies, giving the IST program immediate reach across a large share of the U.S. transfer agency market. Securitize, managing $4B-plus AUM, plans to expand IST interoperability with broader market infrastructure as adoption grows. Computershare Moves 25,000 Clients Closer to Blockchain-Based Stock Issuance“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 remarked.
Ann Bowering, CEO of Issuer Services at Computershare North America, explained that the IST structure was built to work inside current regulatory frameworks. “We designed ISTs to operate within the existing regulatory environment, maintaining the independence and oversight that issuers and regulators expect from a transfer agent,” Bowering said.
Issuers that participate can maintain control over their capital structure while shareholders gain the option to consolidate digital holdings in a self-custody wallet. The setup preserves direct communication between issuers and shareholders, including dividend payments and other corporate action flows.
The agreement does not require issuers to replace existing share structures. Companies can add ISTs alongside shares already held in the Direct Registration System, giving shareholders a choice in how they hold securities 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 counts Apollo, Blackrock, BNY, Hamilton Lane, KKR, and Vaneck among the asset managers it works with on tokenized fund offerings.
