Swiss start-up Curio Invest launches token backed by Ferrari F12tdf

Swiss start-up Curio Invest has just put a Ferrari on the blockchain. The firm is using asset tokenization to enable people of all income levels to invest in a limited-edition Ferrari F12tdf. Only 799 vehicles were ever produced, making it one of the most sought-after and expensive supercars in recent history. Just 8 months after its official release, the first example to be sold at private auction fetched $1,550,000, over twice the initial purchase price.

“Asset tokenization has the potential to be blockchain’s killer app. By making valuable physical assets like collectable cars liquid and divisible, thousands of new investors can enter a market previously only accessible to wealthy elites.”

— Curio Invest CEO Fernando Verboonen

Curio Invest’s new platform will enable customers to purchase security tokens which are directly backed by real-world supercars. Since 2008, the collectable car market has outperformed the S&P 500, gold and many other indices. The Ferrari F12tdf is the first of a collection of exclusive supercars that Curio Invest plans to tokenize on its platform. The firm believes that the increased focus on tangible assets in the wake of the crypto slowdown mean that it is now an ideal time to launch a security token and diversify a crypto portfolio.

For more information, please contact Curio Invest Chief Operating Officer Valerie Halter:
Email: valerie.halter@curioinvest.com
Phone: +41796228184

Did you ever wonder what driving will be like in 2050? All indications are that it will be radically different from today. Indeed, most analysts believe that the car industry is on the cusp of a fundamental reorganization not witnessed since the birth of the automobile at the beginning of the 20th Century. So what sort of changes are we likely to see and what are the implications for our daily lives?

Mercedes F 015 Autonomous Concept Car

1: FEWER COMBUSTION ENGINES

Let’s get the most obvious change out of the way first. Due to increasingly stringent emissions standards, the industry will transition away from producing classic internal combustion engines powered by petrol and diesel, and move towards battery electric, hybrid, hydrogen and bio-fuel powertrains. In the UK, for example, 50% of all new car sales will need to be ultra-low emission by 2030. The EU legislation has not yet been finalized, but is likely to be similar. A car is considered to be ultra-low emission if it produces less than 75g of carbon per kilometer. For comparison, a new one-liter Ford Fiesta EcoBoost petrol emits 114g per kilometer, which illustrates that a car would need to be at least hybrid to meet this requirement.

2: FEWER PRIVATE CARS

Environmental targets and government legislation mean that manufacturers will not just need to cut emissions, but that there will also need to be an overall reduction in the number of vehicles on the road. So how can car companies survive and maintain profitability in a world of fewer cars? They will need to move away from the existing business model of selling cars to individuals, towards selling access to a network of vehicles.

3: NETWORKS OF FULLY-AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES

So let’s say you commute from a suburb to a city-center office each day by train, but the station is a little bit too far from your house to make walking a practical option. In 2050, you will use an App to locate the closest vehicle to your home, which will then autonomously drive to your address. You can then either take control of the vehicle and drive it to the train station or enable autonomous driving and catch up on some work or sleep en route. Once you have reached the station, the car will drive on to meet the next customer.

Mobility Vehicle: the Renault EZ-GO concept

4: MUCH FEWER PARKED CARS

Such an autonomous ride-hailing service would be cheaper than owning a car for the user and would enable vehicles to be in use for a much greater percentage of their life span. While today, the average car is parked 95% of the time, this business model could reverse those figures, enabling car firms to extract more revenue from fewer vehicles by keeping them on the road more often. Less need for parking spaces would mean that roads could be widened with extra lanes to help reduce congestion.  

This model will be especially important for the viability of battery electric vehicles, which create 57% more carbon emissions than standard cars during production, but are much more efficient to run thereafter. In fact, studies indicate that over the entire life cycle of an electric vehicle, 46% of the total carbon footprint is generated at the factory. Thus, by keeping vehicles on the road more often, the carbon footprint per kilometer will significantly drop. In total, McKinsey predicts that by 2030, 80% of the car industry’s profits will stem from ACES (automated, electric, connected and shared) vehicles and services.

5: NEW BUSINESS MODEL

Successful firms in the tech industry will need to move away from just manufacturing cars, towards providing the physical and digital infrastructure to make smart mobility possible. Some of the biggest players in the auto industry in future will be more akin to tech firms or service providers rather than classic vehicle manufacturers. Most of the largest firms in the car industry are already making plans to prepare for this transition. This is illustrated by the fact that in 2016, half of all investment in research and development in the automotive industry globally was directed towards advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). Here, the traditional players are joined by tech giants like Google’s parent company Alphabet in the race to develop safe and reliable self-driving vehicles.

Of course, all of this does not mean that nobody will own their own cars in future, or that petrol cars will be completely abolished. However, a growing distinction is likely to emerge between “mobility”, which will be strictly about travelling from A to B, and “driving”, which is likely to become more of a niche leisure pursuit for car enthusiasts. Sitting in traffic jams will hopefully be resigned to the dustbin of history, but just as there are still people who enjoy listening to vinyl in the digital age, there will always be those who occasionally enjoy driving a roaring V-12 in the age of mobility.

Curio Invest is using blockchain technology to enable everyone to invest in the lucrative collectable car market. Click here to register to invest in an exquisite Ferrari F12tdf for as little as $500.

Since 1971, the WEF has been a bastion of the global economic and political elite. Every year, the world’s most prominent politicians, business leaders, economists and celebrities meet in Davos, Switzerland to discuss the global economy and economic development. Davos played a central role in facilitating the international response to some of the most dramatic events of the last 50 years, including the collapse of Bretton Woods in 1973, the global financial crisis of 2007 and the Eurozone debt crisis of 2009.   

“STOs now represent one of the most solid business cases for blockchain”

While the event remains a byword for power and exclusivity, it is now broadening its reach to encompass emerging businesses in the digital economy, and blockchain technology is at the forefront. Davos Conference Week provides a forum for innovative start-ups and entrepreneurs to rub shoulders with titans of the economic and financial establishment. The series of events, dinners and parties also attracts keen interest from venture capitalists seeking to exploit the new wave of digital innovation unleashed by blockchain technology. There has been lots of buzz about asset tokenization recently, along with a growing recognition that it represents one of the most solid business cases for blockchain.

As a central pioneer of asset tokenization in the Swiss crypto scene, Curio Invest will be playing an active role at the Davos Conference Week this year. Curio is harnessing asset tokenization to break down the barriers to entry to the lucrative collectable car market, meaning that everyone can now invest in exclusive vehicles like the Ferrari F12tdf. CEO Fernando Verboonen has placed particular emphasis on recruiting financial and legal experts to ensure complete regulatory compliance.

A highlight for Curio this year will be co-hosting the Em-Tech Investment Meetings, which will examine how digital assets will impact our lives in the coming years. Curio is a proud sponsor of EM-TECH, a non-profit project.

Will you be attending Davos too? Click here to contact us and arrange a meeting.