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Citi Launches Digital Depositary Receipts to Tokenize Private Company Shares

The bank is issuing and custodizing blockchain‑recorded depositary receipts on Switzerland’s SDX to give eligible investors a regulated route to pre‑IPO exposure.

Overview

  • Citi put the platform live on June 11 and completed an inaugural transaction that tokenized Kaleido exposure on SIX Digital Exchange rails, according to multiple reports.
  • The product uses bank‑issued Digital Depositary Receipts so clients own the receipts rather than the underlying private shares while Citi serves as issuer and custodian.
  • The system records receipts on SDX’s regulated distributed‑ledger central securities depository to speed settlement and let private‑company exposure sit alongside public securities in client accounts.
  • Access is limited to non‑U.S. high‑net‑worth and institutional clients for now with U.S. distribution delayed pending regulatory clarity about private‑security rules and cross‑border treatment.
  • Key market questions remain about secondary liquidity, transparent valuation, issuer involvement in disclosures and whether other banks will join Citi’s proposed shared ecosystem, with The Clearing House and peer projects expected to shape adoption over the next 12–24 months.