Sygnum Bank and Artemundi tokenise a Picasso on the blockchain

Sygnum, a digital asset bank, and Artemundi, an art investment pioneer, have partnered to tokenise Picasso’s Fillette au béret painting. This marks the first time the ownership rights in a Picasso, or any artwork, are being broadcast onto the public blockchain by a regulated bank, enabling investors to purchase and trade “shares” in the artwork called Art Security Tokens (ASTs).

  • Created in 1964 by Pablo Picasso, the most influential artist of the twentieth century, the Fillette au béret is priced at CHF 4 million
  • Tokenisation lowers the barriers to art investment and opens-up the art market to a broad range of new investors
  • Tokens will be available for subscription to professional and institutional investors exclusively through Sygnum, a FINMA-regulated Swiss Bank
  • Token holders will have their ownership share in the painting fully recognised under Swiss law
  • Secondary trading of tokens will take place on SygnEx, Sygnum’s digital asset trading platform

Tokenisation holds potential to increase transparency and democratise the annual USD 60 billion art market
The art market is complex, and often requires deep technical knowledge, personal connections and millions of dollars to enter. Tokenisation, which creates digital representations of financial and real assets on the blockchain, enables fractional ownership, lowering financial barriers and democratising access to pieces of art history like Picasso’s Fillette au béret. This innovative technology has the potential to open-up the global art market, worth USD 60 billion annually[1], to a broad range of new investors.

The tokenisation of Fillette au béret represents two additional breakthroughs for the art market. By transforming art into a tradeable, bank-grade security on the blockchain, liquid secondary markets like Sygnum’s SygnEx can directly connect buyers and sellers. This then eliminates the need for intermediaries, reducing transactional costs and bringing much-needed industry transparency. Picassos have a proven track record for continual appreciation in value, and Fillette au béret has been subject to Artemundi’s stringent examination which is based on more than 30 years of experience in art investment.

Issuance of 4,000 tokens through regulated Sygnum Bank
Investors can own a share of Fillette au béret, priced at CHF four million. Tokens can be subscribed directly through Sygnum’s e-banking platform, with a minimum subscription of CHF 5,000 [2]. Transactions will be settled in Swiss Francs, using Sygnum’s digital CHF stablecoin (DCHF). All tokens are tradeable on SygnEx, Sygnum’s digital asset trading platform.

As a regulated bank, Sygnum applies a robust legal framework to all token issuances on its platform, while providing a seamless, end-to-end solution – from primary issuance, settlement and custody to secondary trading. As such, the full benefits of a tokenised ecosystem can be realised. Sygnum continues to create new and unique investment opportunities in the verticals of Art & Collectibles, Venture Capital, Mid Cap and Real Estate.

Protected ownership of painting recognised under Swiss law
The significance of this tokenisation project also lies in the legal certainty of ownership that the issued tokens provide. The direct ownership in the artwork – not a fund or investment vehicle holding the painting – will be tokenised. These tokens are recognised under Swiss DLT (Distributed Ledger Technology) law, with transactions on the blockchain considered legally binding. As such, ownership rights are protected, and investors are able to invest with full confidence.

Javier Lumbreras, Co-Owner and CEO of Artemundi, says, “In my 37 years of collecting art, I never imagined this could happen. Artistic, cultural objects of universal appeal, once reserved for an elite group of collectors or the museums, can now be safely and directly owned without the burden of high entry barriers, such as information, knowledge, connections, and capital. The art market is absurdly opaque and inefficient, but these traits will soon be relics of a bygone age.”

Mathias Imbach, Co-Founder and Group CEO of Sygnum Bank says, “It has been Sygnum’s mission from the start to empower investors with more direct access to ownership and value. The tokenisation of the Fillette au béret exemplifies how we bring our mission to reality, unlocking a universe of unique investment opportunities that can be made accessible to many. “

About Fillette au béret
Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) painted Fillette au béret in 1964, oil on canvas (65 x 54 cm). The artwork shows a bust of a girl in the center of canvas, over a yellow background that degrades from left to right. The strong colour palette of green, red, black, yellow, and blue shown in Fillette au béret evokes a fulfilling yet intensive and powerful time in the artist’s life. The painting has been exhibited in museums worldwide such as Galerie Beyeler in Switzerland, the Moderna Museet Museum in Sweden, the Kunsthalle Nurnberg in Germany, the LACMA and Phoenix Art Museum in the USA. This artwork has been subject to Artemundi’s proprietary examination protocols tested throughout 32 years and an independent third-party valuation was obtained. The physical artwork is stored in a high-security specialised storage facility.

[1] The Art Market 2021, Art Basel & UBS; average of past 10 years
[2] This does not include additional fees, inter alia for administration and management of the artwork

About Sygnum
Sygnum is a global digital asset banking group, founded on Swiss and Singapore heritage. We empower professional and institutional investors, banks, corporates and DLT foundations to invest in digital assets with complete trust. Our team enables this through our institutional-grade security, expert personal service and portfolio of regulated digital asset banking, asset management, tokenisation and B2B services. In Switzerland, Sygnum holds a banking licence and has CMS and Major Payment Institution Licences in Singapore. The group is also regulated in the established global financial hubs of Abu Dhabi and Luxembourg.

We believe that the future has heritage. Our crypto-native team of banking, investment and digital asset technology professionals are building a trusted gateway between the traditional and digital asset economies that we call Future Finance. To learn more about how Sygnum’s mission and values are shaping this digital asset ecosystem, please visit www.sygnum.com.

For more information, or to arrange an interview, please contact us:

Media contact
E: [email protected]

Sygnum Bank AG
Uetlibergstrasse 134a
8045 Zürich
Switzerland
www.sygnum.com

About Artemundi
Fuelled by a deep knowledge of art and the long experience understanding of its behavior as an asset, Artemundi has taken traditional art collecting and investing to a completely new level. Artemundi was born out of a rebellious idea and a principled objective: Help clients build and diversify art portfolios without the excessive fees associated with traditional brick-and-mortar art companies while paving the way for transparent business practices. Since the foundation in 1989, Artemundi has evolved to become an industry-leading art investment company with +1 Billion USD managed in art and thousands of art transactions. It now has over 32 years of experience providing expert funds and other art management services. For more information, please visit www.artemundi.com/.

Corporate contact:
Grace Lumbreras
T: +34 634 924 045
E: [email protected]

Disclaimer: The information in this publication pertaining to Sygnum Bank AG (“Sygnum”) is for general information purposes only, as per date of publication, and should not be considered exhaustive. This publication does not consider the financial situation of any natural or legal person, nor does it provide any tax, legal or investment advice. This publication does not constitute any advice or recommendation, an offer or invitation by or on behalf of Sygnum to purchase or sell any assets. No elements of precontractual or contractual relationship are intended. While the information is believed to be from accurate and reliable sources, Sygnum makes no representation or warranties, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy of the information. Sygnum expressly disclaims any and all liability that may be based on such information, omissions, or errors thereof. Any statements contained in this publication attributed to a third party represent Sygnum‘s interpretation of the data, information and/or opinions provided by that third party either publicly or through a subscription service, and such use and interpretation have not been reviewed by the third party. Sygnum reserves the right to amend or replace the information, in part or entirely, at any time, and without any obligation to notify the recipient of such amendment / replacement or to provide the recipient with access to the information. Simultaneously, there is no obligation of Sygnum to inform recipients of information, if before provided information later becomes outdated, inaccurate or obsolete, unless otherwise provided by applicable law. The information provided is not intended for use by or distributed to any individual or legal entity in any jurisdiction or country where such distribution, publication or use would be contrary to the law or regulatory provisions or in which Sygnum does not hold the necessary registration, approval authorisation or license. Except as otherwise provided by Sygnum, it is not allowed to modify, copy, distribute or reproduce, display, license, or otherwise use any content for commercial purposes.

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The information in this publication pertaining to Sygnum Bank AG (“Sygnum”) is for general information purposes only, as per date of publication, and should not be considered exhaustive. This publication does not consider the financial situation of any natural or legal person, nor does it provide any tax, legal or investment advice. This publication does not constitute any advice or recommendation, an offer or invitation by or on behalf of Sygnum to purchase or sell any assets. No elements of precontractual or contractual relationship are intended. While the information is believed to be from accurate and reliable sources, Sygnum makes no representation or warranties, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy of the information. Sygnum expressly disclaims any and all liability that may be based on such information, omissions, or errors thereof. Any statements contained in this publication attributed to a third party represent Sygnum‘s interpretation of the data, information and/or opinions provided by that third party either publicly or through a subscription service, and such use and interpretation have not been reviewed by the third party. Sygnum reserves the right to amend or replace the information, in part or entirely, at any time, and without any obligation to notify the recipient of such amendment / replacement or to provide the recipient with access to the information. Simultaneously, there is no obligation of Sygnum to inform recipients of information, if before provided information later becomes outdated, inaccurate or obsolete, unless otherwise provided by applicable law. The information provided is not intended for use by or distributed to any individual or legal entity in any jurisdiction or country where such distribution, publication or use would be contrary to the law or regulatory provisions or in which Sygnum does not hold the necessary registration, approval authorization or license. Except as otherwise provided by Sygnum, it is not allowed to modify, copy, distribute or reproduce, display, license, or otherwise use any content for commercial purposes.

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