Valereum PLC (AQSE:VLRM) CEO Gary Cottle talked with Proactive about the company’s progress in building a world-class ecosystem for tokenisation and digital assets.
Cottle explained that Valereum is now moving beyond development and into delivery. He said the companies within Valereum’s ecosystem, including DigiShares and Fideum, are “already quite mature in a very immature market” and are positioned as potential category leaders. He highlighted that Valereum has integrated DigiShares’ infrastructure to replace its wallet solution, which is set to be adopted across regulated Valereum markets.
The CEO also revealed that the company is expanding its reach through collaborations, including an upcoming partnership with Agentic AI. Cottle said these businesses are “all making good headway, and they’re making quick ground in their markets.”
When discussing asset focus, he pointed to opportunities in football clubs, real estate, metals inventory, and gold mines — assets he described as ripe for tokenisation due to their illiquidity. Valereum has already soft-launched its regulated markets platform and is growing a pipeline of transactions, with several already announced.
Looking ahead, Cottle stressed that revenues and growth remain the company’s most important milestones. He noted that most of Valereum’s current focus is on business development, with partners such as DigiShares and Fideum also pursuing new market opportunities.
Proactive: Gary, very good to speak with you again. You've described Valereum’s ecosystem as world class and ready for mainstream adoption. Can you explain what sets it apart from other players in the digital assets and tokenization space?
Gary Cottle: Hi Stephen, thanks for having me on again. I think ready for adoption is because we're now actually delivering on it. In terms of setting it apart, there are two things. The companies that we've invested in are definitely category winners in their own right. If you take DigiShares and Fideum as examples, they're already quite mature in a very immature market. They’re cutting new ground with some of the transactions they’re doing. Over the last 6 or 9 months, they’ve proven themselves. They’re already in the top three to five and could easily be category winners in the space. They’re doing transactions and accelerating growth quickly.
We’ve also made collaborations that are proving successful. For example, we’ve replaced our token e-wallet with DigiShares infrastructure, which regulators will adopt across Valereum markets. We’re shortly due to announce more collaborations, including one with Agentic AI. All the businesses are making good headway and quick progress. We’re also being approached for other collaborations. Our expertise is on the issuance side of tokenization, but now we’re also being invited into distribution by large platforms, which is a good accolade for Valereum.
Proactive: The Valereum Markets platform supports regulated real-world asset issuances, as you mentioned. What types of assets are you targeting first, and when can investors expect to see activity?
Gary Cottle: We did a soft launch to test things. For example, we sponsored one of the big national football teams in El Salvador. Football clubs have illiquid assets that are ripe for tokenization. We’ve also spoken to four or five Premiership clubs. The UK is further behind because of regulation, but opportunities are there. Beyond football, we’re looking at gold mines, metals inventory, and real estate, which aligns well with DigiShares. These are assets that are hard to finance or securitize, but tokenization makes them viable.
We won’t focus on very large transactions like the recent tokenization of Japanese bank deposits, but we will pursue eclectic asset classes. Our pipeline is growing daily. Some transactions have already been announced, with five or six more behind that. DigiShares also has land-market transactions in the Middle East being announced now.
Proactive: You mentioned fast-tracking growth. What are the key milestones or developments that investors should be watching over the next 6 to 12 months?
Gary Cottle: For us, the key milestone is revenues. We’ve built a lot of technologies, some successful, some obsolete, but we’ve integrated the right partners. Subject to revenues and funding, we’re considering three or four more partnerships. We’ve had interesting approaches to do buy-and-build and finance strategies. But revenues and growth are the milestones that matter most.
Whether it’s Corey Billington and George Worrell at Blubird, Anastasija Plotnikova at Fideum Group, or Claus Skaaning at DigiShares, all are focused on growth. The company has pivoted to business development — around 90% of efforts are now focused there. Our partners are doing the same. The proof in early-stage businesses is doing deals, and that’s our focus now.
Proactive: Gary, I hope you'll keep us updated with your progress. Thank you very much for taking the time today.