OpenWorld Ltd., a blockchain innovation company focused on real-world asset (RWA) tokenization, has announced an agreement with Figure Technology Solutions, Inc. to tokenize OpenWorld’s equity securities on Figure’s Onchain Public Equity Network (OPEN) as it moves toward a proposed NASDAQ listing.
The agreement marks a strategic step for OpenWorld, which also plans to utilize Figure Forge to bring its private credit assets onto the blockchain and integrate them into Figure’s Democratized Prime marketplace. This decision aligns with OpenWorld’s conviction that the infrastructure it builds for institutional and sovereign clients globally should first be implemented within its own operations. This move follows OpenWorld’s previously announced proposed merger with VerifyMe, Inc., which is intended to facilitate its becoming a publicly traded entity.
Figure’s OPEN aims to reshape public markets by offering a dual-listing capability alongside traditional exchanges like NASDAQ. On OPEN, investors gain direct ownership of blockchain-based shares, with options to lend their holdings for yield and cross-collateralize crypto and equities, a feature not commonly available through conventional brokerages. For companies, OPEN provides a framework for issuing and managing equity through real-time settlement, reduced costs, and a blockchain infrastructure designed for regulated environments.
Matt Shaw, co-founder and CEO of OpenWorld, stated, “This agreement with Figure positions OpenWorld at a critical moment in the evolution of real-world asset tokenization. We are not building tokenization infrastructure for others while leaving our own securities on legacy rails. Tokenizing our equity on Figure’s OPEN network demonstrates to our institutional partners that we are willing to go first.” OpenWorld views recent clarifications from the U.
S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Financial Trading Commission regarding digital asset classifications as creating a timely, yet finite, opportunity to establish leadership in compliant tokenized equities infrastructure, potentially enhancing liquidity through blockchain-based frameworks.
Mike Cagney, executive chairman of Figure, commented on the investor benefits: “Investors have long had no real say in how their equity works for them, but OPEN changes that. By having the ability to issue alongside NASDAQ, companies like OpenWorld would be able to give investors a genuine choice and, on OPEN, that choice comes with direct ownership, the ability to lend shares and keep the returns that traditionally went to prime brokers, and the ability to cross-collateralize crypto and equities for borrowing.”Established in 2023, OpenWorld is a technology-driven digital assets and blockchain innovation firm that collaborates with sovereign governments, institutional partners, and major enterprises on enterprise blockchain initiatives. The company has advised on projects valued at over $65 billion in aggregate network value and has supported more than 20 companies backed by leading global venture firms such as a16z, Multicoin Capital, Dragonfly, and Founders Fund. OpenWorld’s expertise includes real-world asset tokenization, stablecoin infrastructure, capital markets advisory, governance structuring, and public markets strategy, with active engagements spanning the Gulf region, Europe, Australia, and Southeast Asia.
Figure Technology Solutions, Inc. operates a blockchain-native capital marketplace designed to connect loan origination, funding, and secondary market activities. Its ecosystem supports over 300 partners and has facilitated the origination of over $24 billion in home equity to date, establishing Figure as a significant non-bank provider of Home Equity Lines of Credit (HELOCs). Key components of Figure’s platform include Figure Connect, a consumer credit marketplace; Democratized Prime, an on-chain lend-borrow marketplace; DART (Digital Asset Registry Technology) for asset custody and lien perfection; and $YLDS, an SEC-registered yield-bearing stablecoin structured as a tokenized money market fund. Figure is recognized in the market for real-world asset (RWA) tokenization, having received AAA ratings from S&P and Moody’s for several loan securitizations in blockchain finance.
