BlackRock tokenization partner Securitize (SECZ) adds SEC investment adviser license amid institutional push

Tokenization specialist Securitize (SECZ) is expanding its regulatory footprint, adding an investment adviser registration as the company positions itself to serve a growing number of institutional investors bringing traditional assets onto blockchain rails.

Securitize said Monday that its subsidiary, Securitize Capital, has registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as an investment adviser. The new license adds to the firm’s existing regulated businesses, which include a broker-dealer, alternative trading system (ATS), transfer agent and fund administration services.

The move comes as regulators have begun examining how existing securities rules apply to a new generation of investment products on blockchain rails. Last week, SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce said that certain crypto vaults and lending strategies could fall under investment adviser regulations depending on how they’re structured and managed.

Vaults have become one of decentralized finance’s fastest-growing products, allowing users to deposit crypto into smart contracts that automatically allocate capital across lending markets and other yield-generating strategies. Increasingly, those products are being adopted beyond DeFi by platforms reaching a broader investor base such as Coinbase and Robinhood to offer yield on customer balances. Curated vaults now hold about $8.6 billion in assets, according to Vaults.fyi data.