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Signaling in the Market for Security Tokens

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  • Julia Kreppmeier

    (University of Regensburg)

  • Ralf Laschinger

    (University of Regensburg)

Abstract

Security token offerings (STOs) are a new means for ventures to raise funding, where digital tokens are issued as regulated investment products on the blockchain. We study market outcomes in the primary and secondary markets for security tokens and examine the associated determinants in the context of signaling theory. We analyze success determinants of 138 STOs and find that a pre-sale and the announcement of token transferability are positively related to the funding success and serve as positive quality signals for investors to overcome information asymmetries. We examine 108 security tokens traded on centralized and decentralized exchanges related to the rapidly evolving area of decentralized finance. There is hardly any underpricing in the market, and it is positively associated with the crypto market sentiment as an external signal. When traded on the secondary market, security tokens generate both extremely positive and negative returns for various short-term time horizons. We disentangle the liquidity situation in the market between centralized and decentralized exchanges and find that decentralized marketplaces are less liquid and offer lower barriers to entry, indicating slow market completion.

Suggested Citation

  • Julia Kreppmeier & Ralf Laschinger, 2023. "Signaling in the Market for Security Tokens," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 93(9), pages 1515-1552, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jbecon:v:93:y:2023:i:9:d:10.1007_s11573-023-01175-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s11573-023-01175-3
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Security token offering; Blockchain; Signaling; STO; Decentralized finance;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G24 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Investment Banking; Venture Capital; Brokerage
    • K22 - Law and Economics - - Regulation and Business Law - - - Business and Securities Law
    • L26 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Entrepreneurship
    • M13 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - New Firms; Startups
    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives

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