Laqus has acquired estar.finance for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition brings estar.finance's innovative platform, designed to provide small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with access to capital markets, under the Laqus umbrella. estar.finance operates a new exchange utilizing Nasdaq technology via blockchain for tokenized securities, having been selected by the CVM to develop this market.
estar.finance offers a robust market infrastructure, including a trading environment for tokenized securities powered by a Nasdaq matching engine. Its blockchain technology ensures secure and immutable information, while significantly reducing issuance costs and streamlining intermediation. The platform handles the issuance, bookkeeping, listing, central depository, and custody of various securities, aiming to eliminate traditional intermediaries and facilitate capital market access for SMEs. To date, estar.finance has listed 5 tokens, representing R$33 million in securities.
This acquisition is strategically significant for Laqus, enabling it to expand its footprint in the digital asset and SME financing sectors. By integrating estar.finance's advanced blockchain-based infrastructure and its established role in developing a regulated market for tokenized securities, Laqus can enhance its technological capabilities and diversify its service offerings. The synergy is expected to create a more comprehensive financial ecosystem, combining Laqus's existing strengths with estar.finance's specialized expertise in democratizing capital market access for underserved businesses.
The combined entity is poised to leverage estar.finance's innovative technology and regulatory mandate to drive further development in the tokenized securities market. This integration is anticipated to accelerate the adoption of digital assets in capital formation, offering more efficient and accessible avenues for SMEs to raise capital and for investors to participate in new opportunities.