Socios adds regulated rails to tokenised club ownership plan
Chiliz and Securitize are moving the Socios Equity Token concept towards regulated execution, creating infrastructure for tokenised minority ownership in professional sports while leaving the first participating football club and transaction terms undisclosed.
Securitize and Chiliz-powered Socios.com have agreed to develop regulated tokenised equity offerings representing minority interests in professional sports teams under the Socios Equity Token brand.Socios will manage sports relationships and the fan-facing proposition, while Securitize will handle securities issuance, investor onboarding, ownership records, transfer controls and ongoing servicing across its regulated infrastructure.Securitize co-founder and chief executive Carlos Domingo said: “Professional sports teams represent a significant asset class that has remained largely private and difficult to access.”The agreement provides an implementation layer that was missing when Chiliz introduced the Socios Equity Token concept in August. It moves the proposition from an ownership idea towards infrastructure capable of supporting regulated securities transactions.The companies intend to work with teams, existing owners and institutional investors on minority stakes, subject to securities laws, league requirements, club approvals and jurisdictional restrictions.Socios Equity Tokens would remain separate from the Fan Tokens already used across the company’s sports network. Fan Tokens focus on engagement and utility, while the proposed equity product would represent regulated financial interests carrying actual ownership rights.That distinction is central to the commercial proposition because Chiliz is moving beyond monetising supporter engagement towards potentially facilitating capital formation and minority investment in sports properties.The first project is expected to use Securitize’s authorised European Trading & Settlement System under the EU DLT Pilot Regime. That gives the initiative a regulated route for issuance and transfer rather than relying solely on blockchain infrastructure outside conventional securities frameworks.Football is likely to be an important potential market because Socios already works with more than 70 sports organisations, including major clubs across England, Italy, Spain and France.No participating club has yet been named, however, and no stake size, valuation, offering amount, investor eligibility criteria or launch timetable has been disclosed. The initiative therefore remains sports-wide until an actual football transaction is announced.The Securitize partnership nevertheless represents a material step beyond the original concept by adding the regulatory and administrative machinery required for execution. The next commercial test will be whether a club or existing shareholder is prepared to place real equity into the structure.