H2O Securities

H2O Securities, founded in 2021 by Julius Steyn, is a Cape Town-based company addressing global water scarcity by financing water infrastructure projects through blockchain technology. Steyn, who serves as CEO, has a background in finance and has been involved in global water and desalination transactions prior to establishing H2O Securities. The company's primary focus is on the financial aspects of water projects rather than the technical engineering or construction.

The firm operates a fintech platform that tokenizes water projects, enabling the financing and faster deployment of water production and treatment facilities. This model is designed to overcome the hurdles of traditional capital-intensive financing. In a significant milestone, H2O Securities secured a $150 million investment commitment from GEM Digital, a Bahamas-based digital asset investment firm, in May 2022. This funding was intended to support the company's growth and the financing of water projects.

The core of its business is the H2O Water Network, a platform that connects real-world water production plants to the blockchain using IoT and smart contracts. The company launched a utility token, H2ON, which facilitates transactions within this ecosystem. When a connected plant produces water, an automated purchase of H2ON tokens is triggered from a prepaid digital wallet, creating demand for the token. These tokens are then used to pay for a range of network services, including engineering, maintenance, operations, and equipment supplies. The platform serves clients such as water technology providers, industrial operators, and property portfolio managers by offering an asset leasing model that shifts the financial burden from capital expenditure (CAPEX) to operational expenditure (OPEX).

Keywords: water finance, blockchain technology, infrastructure investment, Julius Steyn, H2ON token, asset tokenization, water scarcity solutions, fintech platform, project financing, smart contracts, digital assets, Cape Town startup, GEM Digital, H2O Water Network, sustainable infrastructure, impact investing, IoT water management, utility token, decentralized finance, water asset leasing