Forward Industries Enables First On-Chain DeFi Use of SEC-Registered Equity on Solana

Forward Industries, Inc. announced that its SEC-registered shares are now accessible on the Solana blockchain through Superstate's Opening Bell platform, marking the first instance where a public company's equity can be utilized directly within decentralized finance ecosystems. Eligible investors outside the United States can now post tokenized FWDI shares as collateral on Kamino, a leading Solana-based lending protocol, enabling shareholders to borrow stablecoins against their equity positions while maintaining exposure to FWDI stock performance. This functionality is supported by real-time price feeds from Pyth Network, ensuring accurate valuation of collateral throughout the lending process.

Unlike synthetic tokenized stock models that create derivative representations, this approach directly tokenizes Forward's Class A Common Stock through Superstate, which operates as a registered SEC transfer agent, providing a regulated bridge between traditional securities markets and decentralized financial applications. According to the company, this collaboration establishes a foundation for expanded onchain equity functionality as regulatory guidance continues to evolve, with existing shareholders now having the option to hold their shares on the Solana blockchain via Superstate's platform for additional investment management flexibility.

The ability to use SEC-registered equity as DeFi collateral could potentially unlock new liquidity options for international investors while maintaining compliance with existing securities regulations, representing a significant milestone in tokenized traditional finance assets. The company's Solana treasury strategy, supported by industry partners including Galaxy Digital, Jump Crypto, and Multicoin Capital, focuses on acquiring SOL and increasing SOL-per-share through active treasury management, with more information about this strategy available at https://sol.forwardindustries.com. This development follows Forward Industries' established history as a global design company serving medical and technology sectors for over six decades, now extending its innovation into blockchain financial infrastructure, with the latest news and updates relating to FWDI remaining available through the company's newsroom at https://ibn.fm/FWDI.