DSTOQ

DSTOQ is a financial technology company positioning itself to enhance investment accessibility for individuals in emerging markets through a decentralized exchange platform. Founded in 2016 by Craig McGregor and Christian Peters, the Liechtenstein-based firm leverages blockchain technology to break down traditional barriers to global capital markets. CEO Craig McGregor's background in capital markets and global securities investment directly informs the company's mission to simplify access to financial instruments.

The company's core business revolves around providing a digital interface for trading tokenized securities. This model allows users, particularly in developing nations, to invest in real-world assets such as blue-chip stocks, bonds, commodities, and ETFs using either fiat currencies or cryptocurrencies. DSTOQ's strategy specifically targets growth in markets like Vietnam, South Africa, and other nations in Asia, South America, and Africa, aiming to foster greater financial inclusion. A significant milestone was achieved in February 2020, when the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) made a strategic investment of $715,000, marking the first investment from its Enterprise Fund and validating DSTOQ's approach.

The platform is built on the Stellar network, a choice that enables the efficient tokenization of assets and facilitates peer-to-peer trading. This process involves DSTOQ purchasing securities through traditional banking infrastructure in Europe and then digitizing them into security tokens. These tokens are backed by the underlying assets, which are held securely by regulated custodians. For users, this means they can trade fractions of high-value shares, like Tesla or Amazon, with no minimum trade size and minimal fees, using just a smartphone. The use of Stellar's blockchain infrastructure allows for near-instantaneous trade matching and settlement, a significant improvement over the multi-day process in traditional finance. DSTOQ offers its technology both through its own user-facing app and as a B2B, API-driven service for institutions like neo-banks that wish to offer blockchain-based investment services to their clients.

Keywords: financial inclusion, emerging markets, tokenized securities, blockchain investing, Stellar network, decentralized exchange, cross-border investing, asset tokenization, fintech, fractional shares, peer-to-peer trading, security tokens, digital assets, investment platform, capital markets access, blue-chip stocks, cryptocurrency investing, financial technology, Liechtenstein fintech