How to Use the ERC-1400 Standard for Compliant Blockchain Securities

In the digital asset landscape, the introduction of Security Tokens on the Ethereum blockchain brought both innovation and challenges. Initially, the lack of a unified standard for these tokens created significant hurdles for enterprises, including operational complexities and due diligence burdens for stakeholders such as custodians and exchanges. This fragmentation threatened the scalability and efficiency of Security Tokens, underscoring the critical need for standardization.

The establishment of the ERC-1400 standard addresses these challenges by offering a cohesive framework for Security Tokens, aiming to streamline operations and enhance market efficiency.

One of many token standards, ERC-1400 is beneficial for enterprises seeking to leverage digital assets, ensuring a unified approach that facilitates smoother issuance, trading, and management. By prioritizing standardization, the ERC-1400 sets a foundation for the sustainable growth and innovation of financial assets in the digital era, catering specifically to the needs of an enterprise audience.

Below we’ll outline the benefits and use cases for the standard, and show you how to create a ERC-1400 contract on the Kaleido Asset Platform.

Understanding the Benefits of ERC-1400 Standards

The ERC-1400 standard aims to create a comprehensive framework that caters to the regulatory and compliance requirements essential for the tokenization of securities.

It addresses the need for a standardized approach to issuing, managing, and transferring security tokens, while providing customizable regulatory enforcement, integrating global jurisdictional laws, and facilitating the incorporation of off-chain data into transactions for real-world validation and authorization.

By integrating ERC-1400 into Security Token smart contracts, enterprises unlock a multitude of advantages:

• Core compliance components: Incorporating regulatory requirements into token operations.
• Efficient document handling and notification: Streamlining communication and documentation processes.
• Enhanced security token controls and permissions: Enabling delegation and forced transfers while ensuring security.
• Partial fungibility for improved investor transparency: Enhancing visibility of ownership rights.
• Enhanced transparency: Providing traceability, reversal, enforcement, and verification features for transparent transactions.
• Simplified due diligence: Standardization reduces technical requirements for stakeholders, enhancing efficiency.
• Diversified asset support: Supporting various financial instruments such as equity, bonds, real estate, and artwork.
• Elevated user experience: Improving clarity on trade failures and compliance, leading to enhanced user satisfaction and confidence in transactions.

You can learn more from Polymath about the founding ideas behind ERC-1400 and the team that developed it.

If you want to take a step back and learn more about blockchain contracts, our article on smart contract examples is a good place to start.

The Functions of ERC-1400

The core functions of ERC-1400 include:

• Compliance: Implementing regulatory requirements into token operations, ensuring adherence to relevant laws and regulations.
• Security: Providing robust security measures for token transactions, including controls, permissions, and enforcement mechanisms.
• Transferability: Facilitating the transfer of tokens while maintaining security and compliance, including features such as delegation and forced transfers.
• Fungibility: Allowing for partial fungibility of tokens, enabling improved transparency of ownership rights and transactions.
• Interoperability: Ensuring compatibility with other token standards and platforms, promoting seamless integration and adoption within the blockchain ecosystem.
• Customization: Offering flexibility for issuers to tailor token properties and functionalities to specific use cases and regulatory requirements.
  

ERC-1400 vs ERC-20 vs ERC-721

While ERC-20 tokens are fungible, meaning each token is identical to another, and ERC-721 tokens are non-fungible, with each token being unique, ERC-1400 tokens bring a different value proposition to the table.

They combine the characteristics of digital assets with regulatory compliance mechanisms.

Unlike ERC-20 and ERC-721, ERC-1400 tokens are specifically designed to represent security tokens that require adherence to legal and regulatory standards.

This distinction underscores ERC1400's role in facilitating the issuance of compliant securities on the blockchain.

Relevant Use Cases for ERC-1400

ERC-1400 presents a compelling solution for enterprises seeking to tokenize assets while ensuring compliance with regulatory standards and maintaining security. Its versatility and robust features make it suitable for various use cases within different industries. Some relevant use cases for ERC-1400 include:

• Tokenized Securities: Enterprises can tokenize traditional securities such as stocks, bonds, and funds, ensuring regulatory compliance while enabling efficient transfer and management of ownership.
• Real Estate Tokenization: ERC-1400 can be utilized to tokenize real estate assets, allowing fractional ownership, automated asset management, and streamlined property transactions.
• Asset-backed Tokens: Enterprises can tokenize physical assets such as gold, commodities, or artwork, enabling fractional ownership and liquidity while maintaining transparency and compliance.
• Private Equity Tokens: ERC-1400 can facilitate the tokenization of private equity investments, allowing for increased liquidity, transparency, and accessibility to a broader investor base.
• Supply Chain Finance: Enterprises can tokenize supply chain assets such as invoices or inventory, enabling faster access to liquidity, transparent tracking of goods, and efficient financing solutions.
• Art and Collectibles: ERC-1400 tokens can represent ownership of art pieces or collectibles, allowing for fractional ownership, transparent provenance tracking, and efficient trading on blockchain platforms.
• Intellectual Property Rights: ERC-1400 tokens can represent ownership or licensing rights for intellectual property assets such as patents, copyrights, or trademarks, enabling transparent management and monetization of intellectual property portfolios.
• Tokenized Funds: Enterprises can tokenize investment funds, hedge funds, or venture capital funds, allowing for increased liquidity, fractional ownership, and transparent management of investment portfolios.

These use cases demonstrate the versatility and applicability of ERC-1400 tokens across industries, offering enterprises a secure, compliant, and efficient solution for tokenizing assets and unlocking new revenue streams in the digital economy.

Using ERC-1400 Code to Tokenize Assets

ERC-1400 contracts are available on various online repositories or marketplaces specializing in blockchain-based assets and contracts. Our team can also help you write custom contract language. But for our purposes here, we’ll show you how easy it is to grab code from GitHub and use it on the Kaleido Asset Platform.

1. Choose a Contract

For this example, we pulled the contract code from GitHub.

2. Add the Smart Contract to Kaleido

The Kaleido Asset Platform has a library of services. Here we want to enter the Smart Contract Service.

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We can then use our GitHub URL to import our contract code.

You’ll see the code in the “Smart contract preview” window when it is imported properly.

3. Define and Use Your Contract

To build a smart contract, first use the auto-generated build name or choose your own, then select a path to store the build under. Paths can be used to group related builds together, for example grouping different versions of the same contract. You also have the option to provide a description for the build.

Next, use the default compiler and EVM version, or select alternative options.

You’ll then be able to connect your new contract to a blockchain network.

Manage Tokenization at Scale

The ERC-1400 standard represents a critical development in the intersection of blockchain technology and regulated financial markets. By providing a framework for compliant security tokens, the standard paves the way for a more inclusive, transparent, and efficient financial ecosystem.

You can learn more about how to use this standard and others on the Kaleido Asset Platform to tokenize assets at scale in this webinar led by our solution architect, Nick Gaski.

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As the regulatory landscape evolves, the adoption of standards will be crucial in ensuring that the potential of blockchain technology can be fully realized in the financial sector, marking a new era of digital securities.

To learn more about the Asset Platform shown here or for help getting started with tokenizing assets, schedule a call with one of our experts.