In a decisive move to eat its own dog food, Animoca Brands has confirmed it is tokenizing its equity on the Solana blockchain through investment platform Republic. While the Hong Kong-based giant is simultaneously pursuing a Nasdaq listing via a reverse merger, the decision to tokenize equity signals a deeper strategic pivot. For Executive Chairman Yat Siu, the mantra is simple: "Tokenize or die." This isn't merely about liquidity; it is about survival in a digital-native economy where the next generation of investors—and eventually AI agents—will exclusively trade on-chain assets.

Siu's macro thesis challenges the current institutional fixation on Bitcoin. He positions Bitcoin as "digital gold"—a passive store of value currently capped at the scale of the physical gold market ($27 trillion). In contrast, he views the altcoin market as the "Stock Market" of the future—an engine of growth driven by usage, gas fees, and utility. Just as the global equities market ($128 trillion) vastly dwarfs gold, Siu argues that the aggregate value of utility-driven protocols (like Solana) will eventually eclipse Bitcoin. This "usage flippening" relies on blockchains evolving into Internet Capital Markets, where everything from startup equity to real-world assets flows permissionlessly.

The fireside chat also offered concrete "alpha" on the dormant Web3 gaming sector. Siu identifies the release of Grand Theft Auto 6, now slated for November 2026, as the critical attention catalyst that could reignite the sector, similar to how AI tokens rallied on general AI news rather than specific adoption. Furthermore, he points to the anticipated "Clarity Act" in the U.S. Congress next year. This legislation would finally distinguish utility tokens from securities, giving major studios like Take-Two and Electronic Arts the regulatory air cover to integrate tokens without fear of litigation—a barrier that currently keeps the biggest IP holders on the sidelines.

Ultimately, the tokenization of Animoca’s equity serves as a proof-of-concept for a new financial era. Siu notes that while older generations rely on traditional brokerages, the "digital native" youth culture is already financially literate through gaming economies and meme coin trading. By bringing institutional equity to the wallet level, Animoca is positioning itself for a future where AI agents execute 24/7 trades on behalf of users—a reality that requires the immutability and uptime of high-performance chains like Solana, rather than the closed hours of the NYSE.