Crypto STOs, or Security Token Offerings provide a bridge between traditional finance and the emerging crypto market. They are popular for offering regulated, asset-based investment opportunities, which are often the more secure alternative to initial coin offerings (ICOs).
With an increasing influx of new crypto STOs each year, our guide aims to bring you the best crypto STOs currently on the market. We explain the essentials of STOs, how they operate, and how investors can spot both existing and upcoming STOs.
Top Crypto STOs in 2024
- IMPT – Best STO leveraging Decentralized Ledgers to Offset Carbon Emissions
- Djed (DJED) – An Algorithmic Stablecoin with Critical Safeguards
- Fantom (FTM) – Ultra-fast Blockchain to Compete with Ethereum
- MapMetrics (MMAP) – An STO That Lets You Earn While You Drive
- ApeCoin (APE) – A Crypto STO from the Makers of Bored Ape Yacht Club
- Ankr (ANKR) – Creating Essential Infrastructure for Web3
- Colony (CLY) – A Crypto Accelerator Built on Avalanche
- Theta (THETA) – A Crypto STO to Decentralize Online Video Streaming
A Closer Look at the Best STO Crypto Projects
Want to know more about the top security token offerings in 2024? We’ll highlight the key aspects that help these crypto projects stand out.
1. IMPT – Best STO leveraging Decentralized Ledgers to Offset Carbon Emissions
IMPT is a Carbon Neutral token which connects environmental-conscious customers with businesses to offset their carbon footprint from the atmosphere. Individuals can burn Carbon Credits – which are minted on the IMPT network as tokenized NFT assets. After being generated, these Carbon Credits are added on a decentralized ledger to ensure transparency and offer traceability of the transaction.
Carbon Credits represent global carbon emissions, which can be negated when holders burn their NFTs on the IMPT platform. These Credits can be acquired by receiving IMPT tokens in two ways. Firstly, head over to the IMPT platform and purchase IMPT tokens. On the other hand, IMPT tokens can be earned through the project’s shopping platform.
IMPT has connected with thousands of brands (such as Apple and Microsoft) which will set aside a portion of their sales margin to impactful environmental projects. Whenever a customer shops with one of these brands, they are rewarded with IMPT tokens in their wallets. The tokens can be used to purchase Carbon Credits. As one of the best Carbon Credit brokers, IMPT lets token holders either trade the NFT or burn the Carbon Credits – which will nullify the existence of the NFT from the blockchain and effectively reduce 1 ton worth of CO2 emissions from the atmosphere.
Since all transactions are recorded on a distributed layer, it is nearly impossible to commit fraud or double counting of these NFTs. Thus, investors can trade secure tokens and fight the battle against climate change at the same time. To participate in this cryptocurrency, interested readers can buy IMPT tokens during the ongoing presale for $0.018 per token.
From the available 600 million tokens during the first presale round, over 180 million coins have been sold. Interested in learning more about the IMPT platform? Join the IMPT Telegram Channel now.
2. Djed (DJED) – An Algorithmic Stablecoin with Critical Safeguards
Crypto investors may be wary of investing in an algorithmic stablecoin after what happened to Terra. After losing its peg to the US dollar, the value of TerraUSD dropped well below $1 and the value of its companion coin, LUNA, virtually evaporated.
However, despite Terra’s downfall, investors shouldn’t turn their backs on algorithmic stablecoins altogether. Djed is a new stablecoin that works a lot like Terra in principle, but has critical safeguards in place to prevent runaway inflation and panic.
Djed’s peg to the US dollar depends on its companion coin, SHEN. Whereas LUNA could be made and burned without restrictions, SHEN has minting limitations that kick in when inflation in the coin gets out of control. In addition, Djed has instituted SHEN bonuses that incentivize crypto investors to protect Djed’s peg to the dollar when volatility increases.
3. Fantom (FTM) – Ultra-fast Blockchain to Compete with Ethereum
Fantom is an ultra-fast blockchain and accompanying STO that’s designed to compete with Ethereum. Now a well-established altcoin, Fantom (FTM) promises faster transaction speeds, lower fees, and more ways for developers to grow their projects.
In theory, transactions that take several minutes to validate on the Ethereum blockchain can be processed in seconds on Fantom. For anyone who has ever tried to buy Ethereum, it’s clear just how important this speed-up is.
The key to this speed is Fantom’s unique hashgraph-style approach. Instead of forcing the blockchain to process all queued transactions at once, nodes on the network can validate transactions independently and then piece them back together into a block.
The developers behind Fantom have also worked hard to make their blockchain appealing to anyone who wants to jump ship from Ethereum. The Fantom blockchain is backwards-compatible with Ethereum dApps, so it’s easy for developers to switch chains. There are already many popular dApps on Fantom for DeFi, gaming, and more.
4. MapMetrics (MMAP) – An STO That Lets You Earn While You Drive
MapMetrics is a cool new security token offering that’s looking to disrupt Google Maps. Like Google Maps, MapMetrics is designed to help drivers find the best way to get from A to B. Unlike Google Maps, MapMetrics incentivizes drivers to provide in-depth information as they travel, leading to better real-time data on traffic patterns, road conditions, and more.
The key to MapMetrics is its Special Position Tracker system. This is a piece of hardware that users place in their vehicle, and it collects GPS data as users drive. Interestingly, each Special Position Tracker is an NFT, so users own their tracker and it can only be paired with their unique vehicle.
Anyone who owns a Special Position Tracker and uses it while they drive is rewarded with the MapMetrics MMAP token. So, this is kind of like a play-to-earn crypto game for drivers, and it benefits everyone by creating a real-time map of traffic.
MapMetrics’ detailed traffic maps are free for anyone to use, even those who don’t want to purchase a Special Position Tracker and start earning.
5. ApeCoin (APE) – A Crypto STO from the Makers of Bored Ape Yacht Club
ApeCoin is a new STO from Yuga Labs, the creators of the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) and Mutant Ape Yacht Club (MAYC) NFT collections. These remain some of the most popular NFT collections in the world, and investors are excited about the development of a new token that signals the next chapter of development around these NFTs.
ApeCoin launched with an airdrop to current BAYC and MAYC NFT owners, but the coin can now be purchased on most major crypto exchanges.
Investors have lately been excited about the possibility that ApeCoin will become the official cryptocurrency of the Otherside metaverse, another project currently in development by Yuga Labs. If that happens, look for the price of ApeCoin to shoot up as metaverse investors use the coin to pay for land sales in Otherside.
6. Ankr (ANKR) – Creating Essential Infrastructure for Web3
Ankr is a massive crypto infrastructure project that’s helping to lay the foundation for Web3. With Ankr, Web2 websites can integrate crypto wallets, set up crypto staking, launch NFTs, and more to make the shift to Web3.
Ankr also has tools for dApp developers and individual investors. Developers will find thorough cross-chain support, making it easy to transfer an app between blockchains or to create interoperable dApps. Investors can leverage that same interoperability to stake cryptocurrencies across multiple blockchains and earn maximum interest.
This platform also has a node service, which lets developers and other users launch their own nodes and access them remotely. Ankr’s platform currently has more than 7 billion daily API requests, which is an indicator of just how robust this network is.
The ANKR cryptocurrency is used on the network to pay for services like operating a node. So, as demand for Ankr’s services increases, look for the value of ANKR to rise.
7. Colony (CLY) – A Crypto Accelerator Built on Avalanche
Colony Lab is a new kind of crypto accelerator that’s designed to help developers kickstart projects on the Avalanche blockchain. The idea is that by making it easier for any crypto investors to fund new startups, investors reap the benefits of getting in on the ground floor of successful projects. Meanwhile, startups get the funds they need to get off the ground.
When Colony invests in a project, everyone who holds CLY – Colony Lab’s native token – receives a reward in the native tokens of the startup. If those startups succeed and the price of their tokens rise, investors can turn a profit by selling the tokens.
CLY also acts as Colony Lab’s governance token, and the platform will ultimately give token holders a say in what startups Colony Lab invests in. For now, Colony Lab’s investments are controlled by a small group of stakeholders.
8. Theta (THETA) – A Crypto STO to Decentralize Online Video Streaming
Theta is a crypto STO that aims to disrupt the centralized model that currently dominates online video streaming. Theta’s goal is to incentivize content creators and pay them for their work while creating a decentralized network of nodes where video content can be hosted.
There are 2 tokens that make up the Theta project. The first is THETA, which is the platform’s governance token. The other is TFUEL, which is a form of crypto payment for content creators who share videos on Theta. THETA owners can also earn TFUEL by staking their governance tokens to facilitate transaction processing and validation.
Going forward, Theta plans to use NFTs as a form of digital rights management on the platform and to introduce tools for live streaming. The project has garnered a lot of support, including from major video production companies like Sony.
What is a Security Token Offering?
A security token offering, or STO, is a way in which new crypto projects can release their native token to the public.
An STO has a lot in common with an initial coin offering (ICO). Both result in the public being able to buy or sell a project’s blockchain-based token. However, the difference is that an STO involves a security rather than a cryptocurrency.
Securities represent an investment into a real asset, which may be a reserve, a fund of crypto startups, a collection of NFTs, or more. In traditional finance, securities include stocks (which represent investment into a company) and bonds (which represent investment in debt).
Importantly, since STOs involve securities, they fall under the purview of regulatory agencies like the Securities and Exchange Commission. STOs must comply with many of the regulations created for traditional securities like stocks and bonds and can come under scrutiny from financial watchdogs. So, the bar for releasing an STO is much higher than for releasing an ICO.
Because of this unique positioning, STOs are often viewed as a hybrid between ICOs and traditional initial public offerings (IPOs) used for stocks.
How do STOs Work?
STOs work much like ICOs or an IDO on a DEX. The security token is built on a blockchain such as Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain, or another chain. It is also backed by an asset of some kind, for which the record of ownership resides on that blockchain.
Once an STO is launched, investors are free to buy and sell the security token. Depending on the structure of the STO, this may be done through the project’s website or through a crypto exchange. Many projects require investors to use a certain type of compatible crypto wallet or certain type of token to buy into the STO. For example, Battle Infinity’s STO only accepts BNB as a method of payment for IBAT.
Some STOs also involve airdrops to certain individuals. Airdrops are used to reward early supporters or members of a community. These individuals are then free to sell their tokens to other investors or to buy more through an exchange.
After an STO happens, investors are free to buy and sell the new token just like they would buy and sell any other cryptocurrency.
How to Find New Upcoming STOs
One of the most challenging aspects of investing in the best crypto STOs is finding them. Especially for investors who aren’t closely tuned into the latest happenings in the crypto world, it can be tough to know when a new STO is launching.
The good news is that there are ways to find crypto security token offerings. The best place to look is social media, which is where many new crypto projects first announce their STOs. Check platforms like Twitter, Reddit, Telegram, and Discord. Many projects also launch Discord channels in advance of their STO, so joining one of these channels can be a good way to find out when an STO will happen and how to get involved.
Investors can also find crypto STOs using sites like CoinMarketCap or CoinSniper, which are designed to highlight new crypto projects. CoinSniper is especially helpful for finding the best crypto STOs because this platform runs an independent audit of each new project. So, investors can focus on the most promising projects and leave the scams behind.
Are Top STO Cryptos a Good Investment?
Is it worth investing in existing or new crypto STO? A lot depends on the specific project in question, but STOs in general have some potential benefits for investors. Here’s what makes crypto STOs stand out.
STOs are Asset-backed
Unlike ICOs, STOs are backed by assets. What those assets are can vary by project. One project’s token might be backed by a reserve of dollars, another project’s token might be backed by NFTs, and a third project’s token might be backed by staked value.
In any event, the fact that STOs are asset-backed can make them safer than ICOs. At least in theory, the assets that back a token should provide a potential floor for the token’s value. (Keep in mind that the value of the assets backing the token can change.)
More Regulated Than ICOs
Another potential benefit of STOs is that they are more regulated than ICOs. STOs must conform to securities regulations, which are often designed to encourage stability and protect investors. While most STOs don’t come under as much scrutiny as stock and bond offerings, the regulatory framework around these token offerings can provide a confidence boost.
Potential Price Appreciation
For many crypto investors, whether an STO is a good investment ultimately comes down to whether the price of the token will rise after they purchase it. There is no way to guarantee price appreciation, and a lot depends on the tokenomics and popularity of each new security token.
This is why it’s important to find the best crypto STOs. More popular projects are likely to see higher demand for their tokens, thus driving up the value of those tokens.
High Risk, High Reward
Crypto STOs should generally be considered high risk, high reward investments. Many crypto projects fail, but those that succeed can generate massive returns for early investors. The trick, of course, is picking out the STOs that are most likely to succeed.
In general, investors may want to limit the amount they invest in a new STO to minimize their risk. Investors should never invest money they are not willing to lose in an STO.
Conclusion
The best crypto STOs stand out for offering a legally compliant and secure way to invest in digital assets. In this article, we’ve listed the top options available today, as well as diving into what makes them so popular, and whether or not they’re a good investment. By doing this, we hope we narrowed down your search for any old and new crypto STOs.