CoinDesk
Securitize, the tokenization infrastructure firm backed by BlackRock and ARK Invest, cleared its final major hurdle to going public on Monday after shareholders of Cantor Equity Partners II (CEPT) approved the SPAC merger. The combined company is expected to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday under the ticker SECZ.
Shares of CEPT rallied as much as 20% during Monday's session, front-running the vote. The transaction is expected to close on Wednesday, subject to customary closing conditions, according to an X post from the company.
Founded in 2017, Securitize has become one of the leading tokenization providers, helping asset managers including BlackRock, Apollo, KKR and VanEck issue blockchain-based versions of traditional investment products. The company counts BlackRock and ARK Invest among its early investors.
Why it matters
The NYSE debut gives public market investors one of the few pure-play opportunities to gain exposure to the rapidly growing tokenization sector. Citi has projected tokenized assets could reach $5.5 trillion by 2030, while Standard Chartered estimated the market could grow to $2 trillion by 2028 as financial institutions increasingly move real-world assets onto blockchain rails.
With BlackRock's BUIDL fund already running on Securitize's rails, the listing effectively puts a publicly traded stake on the infrastructure underpinning one of the largest tokenized treasury products in the market.
Market impact
The CEPT move shows SPAC arbitrageurs are pricing in approval rather than the broader tokenization thesis, a familiar setup ahead of de-SPAC trading. Watch first-day volume and the spread between SECZ and the warrants for signals on whether institutional desks treat the listing as a tokenization proxy or a SPAC leftover.
Comparable listings in adjacent infrastructure plays have produced mixed first-day reactions, with valuation often settling only after a full quarter of trading once lockups expire.
Frequently asked questions
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When does Securitize start trading on the NYSE?
The combined company is expected to begin trading on Thursday under the ticker SECZ, with the SPAC merger transaction closing on Wednesday subject to customary conditions.
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What is the ticker symbol for Securitize's public listing?
The company will trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker SECZ following the merger with Cantor Equity Partners II (CEPT).
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Which major asset managers use Securitize's tokenization infrastructure?
Securitize helps asset managers including BlackRock, Apollo, KKR and VanEck issue blockchain-based versions of traditional investment products, with BlackRock and ARK Invest counted among its early investors.
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How big could the tokenization market get?
Citi has projected tokenized assets could reach $5.5 trillion by 2030, while Standard Chartered estimated the market could grow to $2 trillion by 2028.
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What is the connection between Securitize and BlackRock's BUIDL fund?
BlackRock's BUIDL tokenized treasury fund runs on Securitize's tokenization infrastructure, making the public listing a direct equity proxy on one of the largest tokenized money-market products in the market.
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