Trading in unlisted, often smaller, securities is not done through a uniform exchange and buyers and sellers must first find each other. This is called an “OTC market”, standing for “over the counter”. There is thus no single marketplace for these securities, but several, as is the case with used cars.
Lucerne’s University of Applied Sciences and Arts, canton Lucerne, now aims to simplify this system by collaborating with various prominent partners. The project uses blockchain technology as a basis for off-market securities. Simply put, a blockchain is a securely encrypted ledger for transactions that is stored locally on the computers of all participants. The Bitcoin crypto-currency is the best-known use of blockchain technology.
