Injective becomes SEC-registered transfer agent as it expands tokenization push

Injective has become an SEC-registered transfer agent through its affiliate, Injective Institutional Services, marking a significant step in the blockchain's push to bring regulated securities infrastructure onchain.

Transfer agents maintain official records of who owns a security, process ownership changes, and handle functions such as distributions and corporate actions. Of note, Injective launched pre-IPO perp futures last October, providing exposure to OpenAI and more private companies.

"With this move, Injective becomes the first layer 1 blockchain to possess the RWA infrastructure and regulatory readiness needed to accelerate tokenization to new heights," Injective said Wednesday in a post on X.

Injective says the registration gives it a regulated way to keep track of who owns tokenized securities and how those assets change hands. By combining that with blockchain technology, the company aims to make transactions faster, more transparent and easier to automate, bringing more of the traditional financial system's infrastructure onchain.

Blockchain companies have largely focused on issuing or trading tokenized stocks, funds and other real-world assets. Injective is now targeting another piece of the market's underlying plumbing: the regulated infrastructure that determines legal ownership.

Injective's registration comes as institutional interest in tokenization expands, with traditional financial firms increasingly exploring blockchain-based issuance, trading and settlement.

Injective is a DeFi-focused Layer 1 blockchain that was incubated by Binance and includes Jump Crypto, Pantera, and Mark Cuban as backers.

Its native token (INJ) traded higher by 8% at publication time, according to The Block's price data. The token has a market cap of around $450 million.