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September 13, 2022 - Securitize, a digital asset securities firm, announced the launch of a fund tokenizing an interest in KKR’s Health Care Strategic Growth Fund II (“HCSG II”) on the Avalanche public blockchain.
The new Securitize tokenized fund is managed by Securitize’s digital asset management arm, Securitize Capital, and provides exposure to KKR’s health care growth equity investing strategy.
Tokenization aims to unlock broader access to private market investing by enabling technology to deliver lower investment minimums, improved digital investor onboarding and compliance protocols, and increased potential for liquidity through a regulated alternative trading system.
“Tokenization has the potential to address many of the biggest challenges for individual investors seeking to participate in private market investing by enabling technological and product innovations that were not possible before,” said Securitize CEO Carlos Domingo. “This new fund is an important step toward democratizing access to private equity investments by delivering more efficient access to institutional quality products.” KKR’s adoption of blockchain is also a significant step in continuing to build a “blockchain bridge” from paper-based to digital financial products.
“With its ability to digitize operational inefficiencies and increase ease of use for individual investors, blockchain technology has the potential to play an important role in the future of private markets,” said Dan Parant, Managing Director and Co-Head of U.S. Private Wealth at KKR. “We’re excited to be working with Securitize to be an early adopter of this technology and look forward to opening our investments up to a new audience of investors.”
The Securitize tokenized fund is offered under SEC Reg D 506(c) and Securitize is tokenizing the Fund on the Avalanche public blockchain. KKR’s HCSG II Fund, to which the Fund provides exposure, invests in innovative health care companies in North America and Europe with proven products and services that are seeking a partner to commercialize and scale.
Avalanche is an eco-friendly smart contract platform built for the scale of global finance. It features transaction finality and a scaling technology that enables both institutions and individuals to build custom blockchains-as-a-service. Ava Labs is a team supporting the development of Avalanche, and projects building on the network.
“Financial markets demand innovation, and over the last two years we’ve seen dramatic leaps forward in the evolution of real world assets moving on-chain and delivering on the promise of breakthrough technology for institutions,” said John Wu, President of Ava Labs. “This strategic partnership will surely spur more blockchain activity among leading investment firms who are now equipped with both the technology and knowledge they need to form an impactful strategy.”
“Securitize is now a leading tokenization and distribution platform for investors and global asset managers,” said Wilfred Daye, Head of Securitize Capital. “The tokenized fund we have developed is a significant breakthrough in unlocking investor access to private equity investments.”
Securitize operates an end-to-end platform leveraging blockchain to raise capital, onboard investors, issue tokenized assets, and provide secondary trading; it launched the first credit-rated tokenized fund in Japan; and is the first blockchain-based firm to be a top 10 stock transfer agent.
