NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--tZERO and BOX Digital Markets LLC (“BOX Digital”) announced today they have entered into a joint venture, which is expected to become the world’s first regulated exchange for trading security tokens. Security tokens are electronic tokens defined as “securities” under U.S. law. The joint venture will seek approval from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) prior to beginning operations.
tZERO will power the technology required to create and operate the joint venture. In addition, tZERO will manage the ongoing technology implementation, administration, maintenance and support. BOX Digital will provide executive leadership and regulatory expertise. Upon obtaining SEC approval, the joint venture will operate as a facility of BOX Options Exchange, an existing registered U.S. securities exchange.
Lisa Fall, CEO of BOX Digital, has been appointed as the new CEO of the joint venture. “We will work closely with the SEC to create a framework for the safe and efficient trading of security tokens and our joint venture with tZERO marks a significant step that brings us ever closer to creating the industry’s first regulated exchange for security tokens,” said Fall. “With BOX’s experience in building and operating a sophisticated equity options marketplace and tZERO’s industry leading blockchain technology, we have brought together our organizations’ combined expertise to create a more efficient capital market that will benefit traders and issuers.”
Last month, tZERO and BOX Digital entered into a letter of intent to negotiate an equal joint venture that would operate as a facility of the BOX Options Exchange for the trading of security tokens in the United States. Today’s announcement confirms the joint venture officially has been formed with tZERO and BOX Digital sharing economic ownership and board representation equally.
“There is no doubt that security tokens are the future of capital markets,” said Saum Noursalehi, CEO of tZERO. “tZERO and BOX Digital will create the first fully regulated security token exchange and fundamentally improve the way capital is raised and traded across different asset classes. Teaming up with Box Digital will allow us to complement our alternative trading system, already under development, with a separate, regulated platform, expanding the reach of our technology to security token issuers of all types, from micro-cap issuers to SEC reporting companies.”
“I believe the greater investing community does not yet understand the extraordinary changes blockchain is going to bring to global capital markets. It is a great honor to have been selected by BOX as their partner for this historic endeavor,” added Patrick Byrne, CEO of Overstock.com and Executive Chairman on tZERO.
About BOX Digital:
BOX Digital Markets LLC is engaged in creating and developing markets for trading digital assets in a regulated environment. BOX Digital is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BOX Holdings Group LLC, which owns and operates BOX Market, an equity options marketplace and a facility of BOX Options Exchange LLC. BOX Options Exchange is a Registered National Securities Exchange under Section 6 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Additional information about BOX Market and BOX Options Exchange can be found at http://www.boxoptions.com.
About tZERO:
t0.com, Inc. (“tZERO“) is a majority owned subsidiary of Overstock.com, focusing on the development and commercialization of financial technology (FinTech) based on cryptographically-secured, decentralized ledgers – more commonly known as blockchain technologies. Since its inception, tZERO has pioneered the effort to bring greater efficiency and transparency to capital markets through the integration of blockchain technology.
About Overstock.com:
Overstock.com, Inc. Common Shares (NASDAQ:OSTK) / Series A Preferred (Medici Ventures’ tZERO platform: OSTKP) / Series B Preferred (OTCQX:OSTBP) is an online retailer based in Salt Lake City, Utah that sells a broad range of products at low prices, including furniture, décor, rugs, bedding, and home improvement. In addition to home goods, Overstock.com offers a variety of products including jewelry, electronics, apparel, and more, as well as a marketplace providing customers access to hundreds of thousands of products from third-party sellers. Additional stores include Pet Adoptions and Worldstock.com dedicated to selling artisan-crafted products from around the world. Forbes ranked Overstock in its list of the Top 100 Most Trustworthy Companies in 2014. Overstock regularly posts information about the company and other related matters under Investor Relations on its website, http://www.overstock.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This Press Release contains forward-looking statements, including statements relating to tZERO’s business. Other statements in this press release that include words such as “anticipate,” “may,” “believe,” “could,” “should,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “predict,” “potential,” “forecasts,” “project,” and other similar expressions, also are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are made based upon management’s current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on tZERO. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Various factors could affect tZERO’s actual results and could cause such results to differ materially from estimates or expectations reflected in forward-looking statements, including factors relating to legal and regulatory developments, applications and/or interpretations of existing legal and regulatory requirements, technological developments and/or difficulties, general economic conditions, conditions in the capital markets and cryptocurrency markets, changes in investor confidence regarding tZERO’s ability to successfully operate its business and develop a trading system for security tokens, and other important factors. tZERO expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to disseminate any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement contained herein to reflect any change in its expectation with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statement is based.
This press release is neither an offer to sell, nor a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities, nor shall there be any sale of any securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.
