WebN and Laser Digital announced the launch of Libre, a new institutional Web3 infrastructure for the distribution of alternative asset funds powered by Polygon. Leading alternative investment management firm Brevan Howard and leading private markets investment management firm Hamilton Lane plan to be the first issuers to strategically partner with Libre.

Libre is an institutional Web3 protocol, designed for the legal and regulatory compliant issuance and automated lifecycle management of alternative investments. It unlocks broader distribution capabilities for asset managers and wealth advisors with the aim to safely and securely streamline legal, regulatory, and operational workflows.

Using tokenisation and smart contracts, Libre enables efficient investment execution and lifecycle management, as well as scalable provisioning of value-add services such as collateralised lending and automated rebalancing of separately managed accounts (SMAs).

Brevan Howard and Hamilton Lane agreeing to strategically partner with Libre marks a significant milestone for the alternative investments industry, which has seen growing interest in leveraging blockchain technology to improve access to alternatives.

Libre is scheduled to go live during the first quarter of 2024 and has already partnered with several tier one global distributors. Access for distributors is simplified through API connectivity, which enables seamless integration into Libre’s comprehensive suite of wealth management services, data and infrastructure.

Libre brings together the institutional heritage and alternative investment expertise from WebN Group, an incubation hub for fintech and Web3 innovation backed by Alan Howard, and Nomura’s digital assets arm, Laser Digital. Libre leverages the Polygon Chain Development Kit (CDK) as its blockchain backbone, which enables development of a purpose-built and ZK-powered layer-two blockchains.

Libre’s CEO and founder, Dr. Avtar Sehra, pioneered early work in securities tokenisation and real world assets (RWAs) starting in 2014 – first on Bitcoin and then on Ethereum; and previously founded Nivaura, the first tokenisation and workflow automation platform with broker-dealer and custody licences from the FCA.

Quotes

Dr. Avtar Sehra, CEO / Founder of Libre : “It’s been an honour working with some of the most respected institutions in the traditional finance and web3 space on bringing the Libre vision to life. While our MVP objective is to increase AUM by launching the primary issuance service and driving distributor integrations, we are also working closely with our partners and clients on our 2024 product roadmap, which includes collateralised lending and automated portfolio rebalancing – building the future of wealth APIs.”

Himanshu Panwar, CEO at WebN Group : “WebN Group is proud to back and contribute our expertise in blockchain technology and capital markets to the development of Libre. By providing a secure and efficient platform for the issuance and management of alternative assets, Libre is poised to transform the traditional investment landscape.”

Dr. Jez Mohideen, CEO at Laser Digital : “Laser Digital is dedicated to delivering secure and compliant digital asset products and infrastructure for institutional users. We firmly believe that Libre’s groundbreaking approach to tokenised funds holds the potential to greatly boost investor confidence and foster increased adoption of blockchain technology and tokenisation within the alternative investments industry and across broader capital markets.”

Sandeep Nailwal, Founder at Polygon : “We are thrilled to see Libre select Polygon CDK’s scalability and security to revolutionise the alternative investments space. Libre demonstrates the immense potential of blockchain technology to unlock new opportunities for investors globally.”

Victor Jung, Head of Digital Assets at Hamilton Lane: “At Hamilton Lane, we believe that tokenisation has the potential to revolutionise the way investments are managed and traded, and are focused on strategically partnering with other leading firms to improve compliance and streamline access to the private markets through initiatives like Libre. We are excited by the possibilities the launch of Libre will bring and are thrilled to be collaborating with these innovative partners to help transform the private markets landscape.”

Natalie Smith, Head of Strategy and Client Partnerships Group at Brevan Howard : “We have been closely involved in Web3 and blockchain for years and are excited about the opportunity to apply the technology in the asset management space. The tokenisation of funds allows us to offer investors a new way to access our strategies, providing them with optionality, and further develops our platform to serve client needs. It is for this reason that we have been deeply involved in Libre”

Source: Laser Digital