SharpLink is set to become the first public company to issue its Nasdaq-listed SBET shares natively on Ethereum, appointing Superstate as digital transfer agent to oversee compliant onchain issuance.
Summary
- SharpLink plans to tokenize its Nasdaq-listed SBET shares directly on Ethereum.
- Superstate’s Opening Bell platform will manage compliant onchain issuance.
- The partnership extends beyond issuance, exploring AMM-based trading of tokenized equity.
In an announcement on Sept. 25, SharpLink Gaming, Inc. said it will tokenize its SEC-registered common stock directly on the Ethereum blockchain, appointing financial technology firm Superstate as its Digital Transfer Agent.
The partnership will utilize Superstate’s ‘Opening Bell’ platform for the issuance. The Minneapolis-based company, chaired by Ethereum co-founder Joseph Lubin, stated the move is intended to demonstrate how blockchain infrastructure can create shareholder value and improve market efficiency.
“Tokenizing SharpLink’s equity directly on Ethereum is far more than a technological achievement – it is a statement about where we believe the future of the global capital markets is headed. At SharpLink, our core mission is two-fold: to build the world’s most trusted digital asset treasury and to pursue initiatives that accelerate the global adoption of the Ethereum network.” Lubin said.
Beyond issuance: exploring AMMs and compliant secondary markets
The partnership’s ambitions extend far beyond a simple onchain issuance. SharpLink and Superstate intend to explore one of the most complex frontiers in digital finance: enabling compliant secondary trading of tokenized equity on automated market makers and other DeFi protocols.
This initiative aligns with the SEC’s Project Crypto, a regulatory framework designed to accommodate blockchain-based markets. The goal is to demonstrate how tokenized securities can unlock deeper liquidity and operate within a modernized capital market structure.
If realized, this effort could reposition SharpLink’s tokenized equity and future issuances via Superstate’s Opening Bell as instruments with broader utility than traditional book-entry stock. Trading on AMMs would represent a structural shift in how liquidity forms around public equities, potentially enabling real-time settlement, global investor access, and transparent price discovery in a way conventional exchanges cannot match.
Notably, the partnership with Superstate is a strategic extension of SharpLink’s deep commitment to Ethereum. With Lubin at the helm, the company has aggressively positioned itself as a corporate leader in the Ethereum ecosystem, having launched a significant ETH treasury strategy earlier this year.
Investors have so far met the news with caution. SharpLink’s SBET stock traded down 7.63% on Thursday, settling at $16.26 after opening the session at $16.33 and closing the previous day at $17.58. The drop mirrors a wider pullback across crypto markets but also underscores how experimental the path ahead remains.