Securitize and Socios.com have announced a strategic partnership to develop regulated tokenized equity offerings that would provide eligible investors with minority stakes in professional sports teams. According to reports from PRNewswire, the companies will combine Socios.com's sports relationships and fan network with Securitize's regulated securities infrastructure in the United States and Europe. Socios.com, powered by Chiliz Group, will lead relationships with teams, owners and fans, while Securitize will handle the regulated aspects including securities issuance, investor onboarding, ownership records and transfers. Carlos Domingo, Co-Founder and CEO of Securitize, stated that professional sports teams represent a significant asset class that has remained largely private and difficult to access, with Securitize's regulated infrastructure providing teams and owners with a new way to issue and administer equity while preserving investor protections.
The planned offerings target the $500 billion global professional sports franchises market, which has traditionally remained private and difficult for outside investors to access. As reported by PRNewswire, the companies plan to structure the products for two groups of investors: eligible fans seeking an economic relationship with their supported teams, and institutional and private equity investors looking for sports franchises as an alternative asset class. The Socios Equity Tokens will differ from existing Fan Tokens, representing regulated securities tied to minority ownership interests rather than digital engagement programs. Alexandre Dreyfus, Founder and CEO of The Chiliz Group and Socios.com, noted that for years, Socios.com has helped teams create more direct digital relationships with their supporters, with this partnership allowing exploration of the next stage through regulated tokenized equity.
The Socios Equity Token initiative is expected to become the first project launched through Securitize's fully authorized European Trading & Settlement System under the European Union's DLT Pilot Regime. According to PRNewswire, Securitize secured EU approval for this system in November 2025 after receiving authorization from Spain's National Securities Market Commission. The approval allows operation across all 27 EU member states, with Securitize choosing Avalanche for the European system and designing it to connect with existing U.S. infrastructure. The partnership places Chiliz's fan-engagement ecosystem on a regulated securities footing, since tokenized minority stakes in sports teams fall under the EU DLT Pilot Regime's sandbox for distributed ledger trading and settlement. This gives the Chiliz ecosystem a regulatory-first reference project in tokenized equity. However, the EU DLT Pilot Regime carries hard size limits, with shares admitted to DLT market infrastructure capped at €500 million market capitalization and aggregate market value across all instruments limited to €6 billion.
The partnership follows Securitize's expansion into public markets, beginning trading on the New York Stock Exchange in July after completing a roughly $400 million SPAC transaction. As reported by PRNewswire, on the same day, the company placed its own shares onchain through tokenized versions of SECZ common stock on Solana and Avalanche. Securitize's regulated U.S. operations expanded when Securitize Capital became an SEC-registered investment adviser on July 22, managing more than $5 billion in assets through institutional relationships. The company has brought the world onchain through tokenized funds in partnership with top-tier asset managers such as Apollo, BlackRock, BNY, Hamilton Lane, KKR, VanEck and others, and has been named to the Forbes 2026 Fintech 50 and CNBC World's Top Fintech Companies 2026 lists. Securitize reported average tokenized assets under management of $4.3 billion in the second quarter, with total revenue down 5% to $14.4 million, tokenization revenue down 12% to $7.8 million and a net loss of $21.7 million.
Socios.com has issued Fan Token® digital assets with more than 70 of the leading global sports organizations, including Arsenal, AS Roma, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, FC Barcelona, Atlético de Madrid, FC Internazionale Milano, AC Milan, Juventus, Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur, Flamengo, and the national teams of Argentina, Portugal, Spain, Italy and Belgium. According to PRNewswire, Fan Token® digital assets and Socios Equity Tokens will remain separate products, with the former focused on engagement and utility while Socios Equity Tokens would represent regulated financial interests subject to applicable offering documents. Socios announced its first US fan tokens in July with five university athletic programs through Playfly Sports, though those tokens have not launched as the company is still defining their tokenomics and targets a launch before the end of 2026. The partnership is intended to serve two distinct audiences while creating a bridge between fans and institutions, with specific ownership rights and governance structures depending on each approved offering's terms. Market participants may reassess CHZ token based on the ecosystem's legitimacy and on speculation around regulated sports equity offerings.
