Public markets put tokenization to the test<\/p>\n
For Carlos Domingo, founder and CEO of Securitize, the move toward public markets reinforces what tokenization was always meant to represent.<\/p>\n
\u201cTokenization is about transparency and modern market infrastructure, and public-market standards reinforce that with the same accountability,\u201d Domingo said. \u201cFor us, that scrutiny builds trust and emphasizes that tokenization can and will operate at the same level as traditional capital markets, while improving them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Domingo frames tokenization as an upgrade to the financial ledger itself. Rather than relying on fragmented, legacy systems, blockchain provides a real-time record of ownership that can automate compliance, distributions, and corporate actions.<\/p>\n
\u201cAsset managers are choosing it because blockchain provides a more transparent, real-time record of ownership compared to legacy systems,\u201d he said. \u201cTokenization enables faster settlement, more efficient operations and automation across compliance, distributions and corporate actions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yet speed alone is not the full story. Domingo points to the layers of intermediaries and disconnected systems that still dominate capital markets.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven with faster settlement, much of today\u2019s capital markets infrastructure is still fragmented and overly intermediated,\u201d he said. \u201cTokenization addresses this by consolidating core functions onto a shared, real-time ledger, reducing the need for layers of intermediaries while preserving regulatory protections.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/domingo-1024x576.jpg\")
Carlos Domingo, CEO of Securitize<\/p>\n
Regulation as a prerequisite, not an obstacle<\/p>\n
For institutional players, regulation is not optional. Domingo argues it is the foundation of adoption.<\/p>\n
\u201cAsset managers don\u2019t experiment with market infrastructure unless they have confidence it\u2019s durable, compliant, and aligned with regulators,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Over the past year, regulators have become more explicit that tokenization can play a legitimate role in modern capital markets. That shift has moved institutions from observation to action, even as questions remain around standardization and long-term frameworks.<\/p>\n
Tokenization in the wild: energy and cross-border deals<\/p>\n
If Securitize represents tokenization at the level of market infrastructure, Global Settlement Network<\/a> shows what it looks like in practice.<\/p>\n Founded and led by University of Miami graduate Kyle Sonlin<\/a>, the Miami-based company recently facilitated a $75 million acquisition of a Latin American oil and gas facility using a fully tokenized capital stack.<\/p>\n \u201cTokenization is to capital what SPVs were to ownership: a standard wrapper that lets complex assets move through familiar legal and regulatory channels,\u201d Sonlin said.<\/p>\n In the transaction, tokenized debt and equity moved alongside settlement in stablecoins. There were no banks and no wires.<\/p>\n \u201cTokenization doesn\u2019t change the asset,\u201d Sonlin added. \u201cIt changes how the deal and capital flows move.\u201d<\/p>\n For Sonlin, the real gain is not just speed, but risk reduction. \u201cWhen settlement takes weeks, everyone is exposed,\u201d he asserted. \u201cWhen settlement happens immediately, most of that risk disappears.\u201d<\/p>\n That advantage is magnified in emerging markets, where access to reserve currencies and cross-border banking infrastructure can stall deals. \u201cBy leveraging tokenization, capital flows much more freely and efficiently while maintaining all relevant compliance standards that regulators expect,\u201d Sonlin said.<\/p>\n Why commodities were ready first<\/p>\n Energy and commodities, Sonlin argues, were a natural fit for tokenization.<\/p>\n \u201cThese markets are already global, regulated, and capital-heavy. That\u2019s exactly where better settlement makes an immediate difference.\u201d<\/p>\n With sourcing often located in emerging markets and investors spread globally, tokenized transactions can materially reduce fees and friction. Sonlin also sees tokenization playing a growing role in commodity supply chains tied to hardware, AI, and national infrastructure.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the age of hardware and AI, the most important trend moving into 2026 and beyond is control of commodity supply chain pipelines,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The legal line between scalable and stalled<\/p>\n As tokenization moves from pilots to production, legal structure has become the dividing line between ideas that scale and those that do not.<\/p>\n \u201cThe most common mistake is treating tokenization as a technology experiment rather than a regulated financial product,\u201d said Kate Lashley<\/a>, a partner in the Miami office of global law firm Sidley.<\/p>\n Compliance, Lashley notes, depends on both the underlying asset and how the token is structured, distributed, and transferred. \u201cAssuming that labeling or technological novelty determines the regulatory outcome is a risky mistake,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Regulatory clarity has improved, but much of it still comes through guidance rather than formal rulemaking. That leaves institutions cautious, even as interest accelerates.<\/p>\n Native on-chain credit, not digital wrappers<\/p>\n Maple Finance<\/a> offers a different view of tokenization altogether. Rather than wrapping existing assets, the Miami-based company originates private credit directly on-chain.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the traditional sense, tokenization refers to representing an existing, off-chain asset as a digital token,\u201d said CEO and co-founder Sidney Powell. \u201cAt Maple, we are not bringing the old world on-chain; we create private credit loans that are native to the blockchain.\u201d<\/p>\n That approach enables automation, transparency, and global access from origination through repayment. Still, Powell acknowledges the remaining barriers.<\/p>\n \u201cRegulatory clarity, security and custody, track record, and institutional-grade infrastructure\u201d all continue to shape allocator decisions, he said.<\/p>\n For Powell, tokenization becomes mainstream when on-chain credit is no longer viewed as experimental, but as a standard part of global portfolios.<\/p>\n Miami as function, not branding<\/p>\n Across infrastructure, execution, and regulation, Miami emerges not as a marketing story but as a functional hub.<\/p>\n \u201cMiami represents an international mix that properly matches our identity as an international company in a global industry,\u201d Domingo said.<\/p>\n Sonlin is even more direct. \u201cMiami isn\u2019t a vibe choice,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a functional one.\u201d<\/p>\n READ MORE IN REFRESH MIAMI:<\/p>\n I am a Miami-based technology researcher and writer with a passion for sharing stories about the South Florida tech ecosystem. I particularly enjoy learning about GovTech startups, cutting-edge applications of artificial intelligence, and innovators that leverage technology to transform society for the better. Always open for pitches via Twitter @rileywk or www.RileyKaminer.com.<\/p>\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/sonlin-1536x877-2.jpg\")
Kyle Sonlin, CEO of Global Settlement Network<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Kate-Lashley-Headshot-2.png\")
Kate Lashley, Partner, Sidley<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/tokenize-703x1024.jpg\")
Sidney Powell, CEO of Maple Finance <\/p>\n![\"Riley](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/4q0a7418-1.jpeg\")
<\/a> <\/p>\n<\/a>Latest posts by Riley Kaminer (see all<\/a>) \t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u200b\u200bFrom public markets to private credit and cross-border energy deals, Miami is emerging as a proving ground for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":125134,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[225,227,226],"class_list":{"0":"post-125133","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-hialeah","8":"tag-hialeah","9":"tag-hialeah-headlines","10":"tag-hialeah-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125133","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=125133"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125133\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/125134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=125133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=125133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=125133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}