Cantor Fitzgerald and Securitize are teaming up to bring blockchain technology to initial public offerings, the companies announced Wednesday. The partnership will allow public companies to issue tokenized securities directly onchain during IPOs and follow-on offerings, combining Cantor's equity capital markets expertise with Securitize's tokenization infrastructure.
How the partnership works
Under the agreement, Cantor will contribute its equity capital markets and trading capabilities, while Securitize will provide the technology to issue, distribute and service tokenized securities, according to a press release. The goal is to improve operational efficiency and modernize ownership records while keeping offerings within the existing regulatory framework for traditional public offerings.
A Securitize spokesperson emphasized that the collaboration focuses on primary issuance — not just tokenized funds or secondary trading. The token will represent the actual security itself, not a wrapper or synthetic exposure, making tokenization part of the issuance process from the start.
Industry context
The move comes as major Wall Street players accelerate their adoption of tokenization. This week, the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) announced plans to tokenize stocks with partners including JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, BlackRock and Vanguard. Cantor and Securitize's initiative extends blockchain infrastructure directly into the IPO process, a step beyond what many traditional finance firms have attempted so far.
"Public companies shouldn't have to choose between access to traditional capital markets and the benefits of blockchain technology that improve how securities are issued, distributed, owned, and serviced," said Carlos Domingo, co-founder and CEO of Securitize, in a statement. Pascal Bandelier, co-CEO and global head of equities at Cantor, added that the partnership allows Cantor to "bring the rigor of traditional equity capital markets to onchain settlement and distribution."
The collaboration signals growing institutional interest in using blockchain for capital formation, not just for trading existing assets. By embedding tokenization into the IPO process itself, the firms aim to make digital securities a standard part of how public companies raise capital.