Even today, asking regular folks what crowdfunding is usually doesn’t retrieve a whole lot of information. There may be a recollection of a bake sale to send the school brass band to London or a mention of an obscure Kickstarter campaign your mate had participated in once, that’s it. Don’t expect people to tell you that crowdfunding is one of the most efficient ways of raising capital for small and medium-sized businesses and a near-perfect model of investing in properties and equity – not many know that.

Miseducation, or a complete lack thereof for that matter, is a strong negative factor when it comes to mass adoption of crowdfunding in financial markets. Luckily, there are organisations like European Crowdfunding Network, of which Smartlands, we’re proud to report, is a newly-accepted member.

On June 13th, Smartlands team went to Berlin to participate in the 4th annual ECN CrowdCamp, this time blockchain-themed. With game-changing partnerships popping up all over the space (IBM and Stellar, Ripple and MoneyGram, and a host of others), the fact that this ground-breaking technology can and will radically transform the way we perceive money and financial relations is no longer a revelation. The standing topics for the conversation at the CrowdCamp was the impact crowdfunding is making on economy and society, the creation an adoption of superior professional standards, best practices in data provision, preservation and distribution, and the latest trends in blockchain-driven fintech.

Sparks flew. At times the temperature of the discussion would rise well above the accepted convention, and it’s in that fiery crucible Smartlands and the European Crowdfunding Network have forged a union. Now, it’s official: of all the European Crowdfunding Network members, Smartlands is the first (quite possibly, the only) UK-based regulated platform that uses asset tokenisation as a mode of crowdfunding and blockchain as the underlying technology.

“We understand both the challenges of investing in the real economy and indeed cosmic opportunities the space provides,” says Arnoldas Nauseda, Smartlands CEO. “Now that Smartlands has joined the ECN family, we are incredibly excited to share our experience with the other ECN members and together get the industry ready for the 21st century by speeding-up the mass adoption of asset tokenisation process.”

Yaroslava Tkalich, Smartlands Head of Marketing and Communications, adds: “As a pioneer of asset tokenisation, we are confident that our massive knowledge base and technological prowess will firmly establish Smartlands as a strategic partner to every ECN member who sees himself as a potential game changer. These are the people and companies Smartlands is extremely pleased to welcome as partners for our current and upcoming tokenisation projects in Europe.”

“ECN believes that introducing concrete measures to lower costs and alleviate risks for investors will be a key success factor for alternative finance going forward. Blockchain and DLT solutions will play a key role in making the sector more robust and susceptible to innovations. We are looking forward to expand our network to include leading blockchain actors, such as Smartlands, in our work to develop a viable roadmap for the adaption of blockchain technologies by the alternative finance industry,” says Oliver Gajda, Executive Director, ECN

About ECN

The European Crowdfunding Network AISBL (ECN) is a professional non-profit network created to advocate business transparency, effective governance of the European financial markets, and self-regulation practices in the financial sector while offering a voice to policymakers and opinion leaders. ECN’s initiatives and actions are aimed at promoting crowdfunding and understanding its key role as a crucial aspect of innovation within the financial technology sector of the real economy.