Hanwha Group has become the largest shareholder in tokenization firm Securitize after its combined stake across affiliates and investment vehicles reached 9.6%, according to newly disclosed U.S. regulatory filings.
Summary
- Hanwha Group has become Securitize’s largest shareholder with a combined 9.6% stake across its affiliates and investment funds.
- Hanwha Investment & Securities has expanded its Web3 investments this year with new funding for Xangle, Kresus, Digital Asset and additional shares in Upbit parent Dunamu.
- The investment comes as Securitize continues growing its tokenized securities business through its NYSE listing, BlackRock partnership and institutional tokenization platform.
According to filings submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, entities linked to Hanwha Group collectively own 15.69 million shares of Securitize, giving the South Korean conglomerate a 9.6% ownership stake. The holding places Hanwha ahead of Blockchain Capital, which owns about 6.0%, and Securitize co-founder and chief executive Carlos Domingo, whose stake stands at 5.4%.
The disclosure provides a clearer picture of Hanwha’s investment strategy across blockchain infrastructure, digital assets and tokenization as the group continues expanding its presence in Web3-related businesses.
Hanwha’s ownership spans multiple affiliates
Rather than being held by a single company, the stake is spread across several Hanwha entities.
SEC filings show that a private equity fund managed by Hanwha Asset Management owns 5.9% of Securitize. H Foundation, a subsidiary of Hanwha Systems, holds another 3.1%, while Hanwha Investment & Securities owns roughly 0.6%.
Earlier regulatory disclosures showed that H Foundation acquired a 5.2% interest in Securitize in 2021 as part of efforts to strengthen its security token technology capabilities and expand into North American and Asia-Pacific markets.
The latest ownership figures follow a recent investment round in which Hanwha Investment & Securities acquired additional shares. The company has described its participation as a financial investment made through a pre-initial public offering financing round rather than part of a coordinated group strategy.
A spokesperson for Hanwha Investment & Securities told local media that each Hanwha affiliate independently evaluated and executed its own investments, adding that the firm was not involved in the investment decisions made by other group companies.
The spokesperson also said the company expects to decide whether to sell its shares after they become eligible for sale under SEC rules later this year, while leaving open the possibility of using the investment strategically in the digital asset and real-world asset tokenization sector.
Investments extend across Web3 infrastructure
Alongside its Securitize position, Hanwha Investment & Securities has expanded investments across several blockchain businesses this year.
According to local media, the company invested 10 billion won in blockchain research and data platform Xangle, 18 billion won in Web3 infrastructure company Kresus, and 30 billion won in Digital Asset, the company behind the institutional blockchain network Canton Network.
Hanwha Investment & Securities has also increased its exposure to South Korea’s digital asset market through Dunamu, the parent company of cryptocurrency exchange Upbit.
The firm invested an additional 597.8 billion won in Dunamu, lifting its ownership stake to 9.84%. Hanwha first acquired a 6.14% interest in Dunamu through a 58.3 billion won investment in 2021.
Taken together, the company’s investments in Web3 and digital asset businesses have reached approximately 655.8 billion won this year.
These investments now span multiple layers of blockchain infrastructure. Xangle provides blockchain data and research services, Kresus focuses on digital wallets and tokenization services, Digital Asset operates institutional blockchain infrastructure through the Canton Network, while Dunamu offers cryptocurrency trading, custody and settlement services. Securitize adds tokenized asset issuance, distribution and lifecycle management to that portfolio.
Securitize expands institutional tokenization business
Hanwha’s increased ownership comes as Securitize continues expanding its role in regulated tokenized securities.
Earlier this month, Securitize became the first newly public company to tokenize its own common stock on the same day it began trading on the New York Stock Exchange. The company listed under the ticker SECZ after completing its business combination with Cantor Equity Partners II while simultaneously issuing blockchain-based versions of the same common shares on the Solana and Avalanche networks.
According to Securitize, the tokenized SECZ shares represent the same NYSE-listed stock rather than a separate class of securities, allowing eligible investors to hold blockchain-based representations of the company’s publicly traded equity.
The company has also continued building infrastructure for institutional capital markets.
Last week, Securitize announced a partnership with Cantor to bring blockchain infrastructure directly into initial public offerings and follow-on equity offerings. Under the arrangement, Cantor will provide equity capital markets and trading services while Securitize will supply the infrastructure for issuing, distributing, and servicing tokenized securities.
Carlos Domingo previously said companies should not have to choose between traditional capital markets and blockchain infrastructure, describing the partnership as a way to integrate tokenization into regulated public offerings.
Institutional adoption has also continued through Securitize’s existing business. The company supports tokenized products for firms including BlackRock, Apollo, BNY, Hamilton Lane, KKR and VanEck. BlackRock’s tokenized U.S. Treasury fund BUIDL, one of the largest tokenized funds in the market, uses Securitize as its tokenization platform and transfer agent.
Earlier this year, Securitize said its platform managed more than $4 billion in on-chain assets while supporting more than 650 tokenized funds.
Separately, the company remains involved in ongoing litigation with tokenization platform tZERO over patent infringement allegations. Securitize has denied the claims and filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware seeking a declaration that its products do not infringe tZERO’s patents. The court has not ruled on either side’s claims.
