Chiliz Launches Socios Equity Token, Offering Fans Access to Team Stakes

Chiliz, the global sports and entertainment blockchain company behind CHZ, said Sept. 3 that it is officially launching the Socios Equity Token.

Unlike traditional membership-based fan tokens, the Socios Equity Token is a digital asset with financial characteristics. Chiliz said it has built an investment structure for sports team ownership by directly acquiring minority stakes in participating clubs, tokenizing those holdings on the blockchain and issuing them in fractional form.

The company aims to let fans and investors participate directly in the economic value of professional teams.

Chiliz said it found interest in on-chain team equity assets through a survey of 5,000 sports fans in South Korea, the US, the UK, Italy and Spain conducted with global research firm OnePoll.

In the survey, 72% of respondents said they would be willing to buy an equity token. Their average intended investment was about $1,240. Among South Korean fans, the average intended investment was about $1,481 per person, above the $1,395 recorded in the US and the highest among the countries surveyed.

Citing that demand from global fans, Chiliz said it plans to begin broader talks with major professional clubs and leagues and seek regulatory approvals in stages.

Chief Executive Officer Alexandre Dreyfus said ordinary fans have faced practical barriers to owning even small stakes in clubs. He added that the Socios Equity Token could broaden access to sports investing by linking the economic rights tied to club ownership with fan-engagement benefits through blockchain technology.