Swiss Regulator FINMA Approves Taurus to Offer Tokenized Shares to Retail Investors

According to CoinDesk, Swiss cryptocurrency custody and trading firm Taurus has received approval from Swiss financial regulator FINMA to offer blockchain-based shares in unlisted companies to retail investors. This development brings tokenized securities to a wider audience. Taurus' TDX marketplace, which is backed by Deutsche Bank, allows transactions using cryptocurrencies, Swiss francs, euros, and U.S. dollars. Several Swiss firms, including Investis, la Mobilière, Qoqa, Structured Commodity & Corporate Finance, Swissroc, and Teylor, have chosen TDX to issue shares. Tokenization is gaining traction, with major players like JPMorgan exploring ways to streamline their dealings in financial assets and companies like Taurus working to democratize the technology. Taurus co-founder Lamine Brahimi said in an interview that the TDX marketplace was previously only authorized for professional or qualified investors, but FINMA's approval now allows retail investors to participate as well. Brahimi believes that buying a share of a company should be as easy as purchasing a book on Amazon. Retail investors can now participate in capital raises for unlisted firms in a primary market setting and engage in secondary markets. Brahimi added that TDX is currently targeted at Swiss residents but may be open to additional investors who meet compliance requirements, depending on the trading segment and the issuer.