Securitize Corp. ("Securitize"), the leader in tokenized assets, and Socios.com, the platform behind FAN TOKEN® digital assets and one of the most established consumer applications in sports and blockchain, announced a strategic partnership to develop regulated tokenized equity offerings involving minority interests in professional sports teams.

Under the partnership, the companies plan to work with sports teams, existing owners and institutional investors to structure and tokenize minority equity interests under the Socios Equity Token brand, subject to applicable securities laws, league requirements, club approvals and jurisdictional restrictions.

Together, the two companies will develop regulated investment infrastructure for tokenized sports club equity.Socios.com will lead relationships across the sports industry and the development of the fan-facing engagement layer. Securitize will lead regulated securities issuance, investor onboarding, ownership-record administration, transfer controls and ongoing servicing through its applicable regulated affiliates.

The initiative is expected to become the first tokenization project launched through Securitize's fully authorized European Trading & Settlement System under the EU DLT Pilot Regime, drawing on the company's regulated infrastructure across Europe and the United States.

Professional sports franchises represent an estimated $500 billion¹ in aggregate value globally, with ownership remaining predominantly private and minority interests often difficult to access or trade. Socios Equity Token digital assets are intended to bring a portion of that value onchain through regulated infrastructure, potentially expanding distribution and improving access and price discovery for teams, owners and eligible investors, thus creating a bridge between fans and institution.

By connecting fan engagement with regulated tokenized equity, the partnership is intended to serve two distinct audiences: eligible fans seeking a deeper economic relationship with the teams they support, and institutional and private-equity investors seeking exposure to a high-value alternative asset class.

Socios.com has issued Fan Token® digital assets with more than 70 of the leading global sports organizations, including Arsenal, AS Roma, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, FC Barcelona, Atlético de Madrid, FC Internazionale Milano, AC Milan, Juventus, Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur, Flamengo, and the national teams of Argentina, Portugal, Spain, Italy and Belgium.

Fan Token® digital assets and Socios Equity Tokens will remain separate products: the former are focused on engagement and utility, while Socios Equity Tokens would represent regulated financial interests subject to the applicable offering documents.

"For years, Socios.com has helped teams create more direct digital relationships with their supporters," said Alexandre Dreyfus, Founder and CEO of The Chiliz Group and Socios.com. "Our partnership with Securitize allows us to explore the next stage of that evolution through regulated tokenized equity, combining our sports network with the infrastructure needed to bring these opportunities to eligible investors."

"Professional sports teams represent a significant asset class that has remained largely private and difficult to access," said Carlos Domingo, Co-Founder and CEO of Securitize. "Securitize's regulated infrastructure in the United States and Europe can provide teams and their owners with a new way to issue and administer equity while preserving the investor protections and ownership rights that should come with a regulated security."

Additional details regarding participating teams, offering terms, investor eligibility and supported blockchain networks will be announced if and when individual offerings are approved.