Sternlicht: Starwood ready to tokenize assets but U.S. regulation blocks it

Billionaire real estate mogul Barry Sternlicht said his firm, Starwood Capital Group, which manages over $125 billion in assets, is ready to begin tokenizing real-world assets but can’t move forward due to regulatory barriers in the United States. “We want to do it right now and we’re ready,” Sternlicht said Wednesday at the World Liberty Forum in Palm Beach.

“It’s ridiculous that our clients can’t do it in token,” he said, referring to transacting real-world assets — like real estate — using blockchain-based tokens. Tokenization converts ownership of physical assets, such as real estate or art, into blockchain-based tokens that can be traded.

For firms like Starwood, it could offer a new way to raise capital or give investors access to previously illiquid markets. Some firms are already moving forward on a small scale — for example, Propy outlined plans last year for a $100 million expansion to acquire mid-size property title firms across the U.S.

United States, Palm Beach

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