Overstock’s Long-Awaited Security Token Trading Platform tZERO Goes Live This Week

Overstock’s tZERO security trading platform, which was announced back in 2014, is set to go live by the end of this week, according to the company’s chief executive Patrick Byrne, a longstanding cryptocurrency supporter.

The CEO of Overstock.com, Patrick Byrne, informed the crypto and investing communities that the highly anticipated tZERO security trading platform will go live by the end of this week. Providing this information Byrne stated that the trading platform was ready for launch but they needed a few more days to process user signups.

On Friday last week, he said:

“But by the end of the next week we will be turning the trading system live. It’s a big moment for us — four years in the making.”

The announcement means tZERO will meet the timetable given last month by Jonathan Johnson, president of Medici Ventures, Overstock’s venture fund and tZERO’s direct parent company. Do remember, that Johnson in December said the company would go live in January.

It was then said that, to ensure compliance with federal securities law and regulations, and in accordance with the terms of the tokens themselves, the tokens will be locked up in the custodial wallet until January 10, 2019 (90 days after issuance).

After the 90-day period expires, tZERO intends on offering holders the opportunity to trade tokens, pursuant to private resale transactions, with other accredited investors on a platform that tZERO is in the process of developing with a broker-dealer partner. In addition, tZERO intends that new investors who are accredited will also be able to open an account to buy tokens following the 90-day period.

However, now tZERO has informed their investors that they already have access to their tokens and they can create a brokerage account or just save the tokens in a personal wallet. Dinosaur Financial Group is offering brokerage services to tZERO investors and users.

Steven Hopkins, the former COO and general counsel at Medici will be leading tZERO as a president. At the moment, there is no information regarding who is going to be in the other two executive positions. As soon as the platform is launched, users will be able to trade tZERO tokens and many other tokens created by other companies.

What that actually means is that tZERO can now launch its own STO after acquiring the necessary financial brokerage licensing. In addition to its native tZERO token, the company plans to create further openings for potential 60 clients and run its business on the same model that its clients would use.

According to tZero CEO Saum Noursalehi’s letter, investors will now have the option of choosing where to hold their security tokens, either by creating a brokerage account with Dinosaur Financial Group, a tZero partner and broker dealer, or holding them in a person wallet with a two-step verification system. He confirmed that as of October 12, 2018 they completed the issuance of the tZero security tokens.

Making Headlines All Year Long

Overstock notably made headlines earlier this year by becoming the first company to pay a portion of its business taxes in Ohio using Bitcoin, taking advantage of a move the state made back in November.

In December, tZERO was hired by Hong Kong-based GSR Capital to create a token for trading cobalt, with GSR also buying $30 million in tZERO security tokens from Overstock. However, the partnership was delayed after GSR asked for additional time to on-board a third partner and close the deal. The deal has yet to be completed, Byrne said.

Just for reminder, the ICO of tZero opened in December 2017 and raised $100 million in the first day of funding. Patrick Byrne, tZero executive chairman and CEO of Overstock then confirmed that tZero is planning to use the money raised to help launch multiple tokenized securities exchanges around the world in parallel with its SEC-licensed U.S. operation.

Byrne first revealed his plans for a security token trading system in 2014, but technological and compliance efforts took some time.

Overstock’s initial Alternative Trading System (ATS), a sort of precursor to tZERO, has been open for two years. But it has listed only tokens representing preferred shares in Overstock, and saw little activity (all of 10 trades over a 15-month period) due to technical hurdles, a public filing by Overstock said last spring.