Bitfinex Securities El Salvador S.A. de C.V. has announced a tokenized debt offering to fund the development of a Hampton by Hilton hotel complex at El Salvador International Airport. The token, named HILSV, will be traded against the U.S. dollar and tether (USDT) on the Liquid Network, a bitcoin sidechain. This initiative marks a milestone in El Salvador’s capital market development and represents the first tokenized asset raise in the region. The tokenized debt issuance seeks to raise $6.25 million with a 10% coupon over a five-year period, with a minimum investment threshold of $1,000. The project aims to create a 4,484-square-meter hotel complex with 80 rooms, five commercial spaces, a swimming pool, restaurants, and various amenities across five levels.
Bitfinex Securities has partnered with Inversiones Laguardia (HILSV) to manage the tokenized debt, while Ditobanx will handle the tokenization and structuring of the transaction on the Liquid blockchain. The issuance will be facilitated by Inversiones Laguardia S.A. de C.V., with Hilton Hotels involved as a franchisor but not endorsing any offering. The project is expected to generate economic opportunities, including around 1,000 jobs during construction and up to 5,000 direct and indirect jobs once operational. Bitfinex Securities CTO Paolo Ardoinio emphasized the significance of the HILSV token in introducing a major new asset class to the market, allowing investors and issuers in El Salvador to access previously unavailable capital markets and raise finance for vital tourism-related infrastructure development.
Roberto Laguardia, President of Inversiones Laguardia, highlighted the transformative potential of the project in leveraging digital asset laws to access capital markets and fuel economic growth. Bitfinex Securities made history in January by becoming the first regulated entity to obtain a license for operation in El Salvador under the nation’s Digital Asset Securities Law. The tokenized securities platform immediately began accepting customer applications and announced a pipeline of potential financial asset issuances set to debut in the first half of the year. This initiative follows the success of a tokenized bond offering by Alternative via Bitfinex Securities AIFC in Kazakhstan, which raised over $5.2 million in USDT on the Liquid Network.
El Salvador has been a trailblazer in crypto adoption, granting Bitcoin legal tender status in 2021 and launching the “Adopting El Salvador Freedom Visa” program with stablecoin issuer Tether. This program allows investors to apply for the Freedom Visa by investing $1 million in Bitcoin or USDT. The ecosystem around digital assets in El Salvador is evolving rapidly, with Bitfinex Securities at the forefront of facilitating regulated investment avenues and capital market development in the region. The tokenized debt offering for the Hampton by Hilton hotel complex represents a significant step forward in bringing traditional finance and digital assets together to drive economic growth and opportunity for Salvadorans.
