Infinity Maritime will be the first platform to provide alternative finance through digitisation, enabling fractional ownership of cargo ships, such as dry bulk carriers, tankers and container ships. The asset-backed Meta Units will be tradeable on a fully regulated exchange, resulting in a secondary market for investors. The platform will focus on creating a sustainable fleet via the purchase and upgrade of modern vessels, in line with the Poseidon Principles for sustainability.

London based Infinity is taking an important leap ahead by partnering with the institutional grade provider and market leader: VALK, built on Corda. It will be the first alternative finance platform focused on maritime assets to run on the Corda platform, reinforcing its position in the industry as the leading institutional digital platform for shipping assets.

An enterprise grade blockchain platform, Corda is developed by R3, who leads the largest blockchain ecosystem of more than 350 participants, including more than 40 global investment banks. From investor onboarding, to data room analysis, legal documentation signing, investment, post trade and secondary market, Infinity’s processes will be digital, automated and concentrated on one single, secure and easy to use platform giving Infinity its own primary and secondary private marketplace and access to a wide ecosystem of exchanges and banks.

VALK’s solution will be providing Infinity clients and investors with a better and secure user experience that only digital banks or slick e-trading platforms have today while allowing for fractional asset ownership, enabling a secondary market for previously illiquid holdings.

“We are delighted to work with Infinity in creating the first institutional and banking grade Ship Financing platform. Infinity have strong roots and experience in finance and shipping but a vision and a plan that is bringing tangible and revolutionary financing and trading solutions for the industry. By powering several top-class financial institutions in Europe and supporting hundreds of millions of transactions already, we want to bring our technology experience and support to Infinity and enable them to achieve their objectives. There are already many opportunities that we want to help them take advantage of by connecting with Corda’s vibrant user base and exchanges we are close to. Infinity are innovators and pioneers and they will shape industry trends and establish new standards of deal making and fundraising in shipping and probably other asset classes down the line and we are here to give them ” state VALK founders Antoine Loth and Elie Azzi.

Andrew Graham, Chairman, Infinity Maritime said: “Now is the right time to try and launch the first digitised finance proposition for the maritime industry. The concept is now much better understood, and access to finance in the maritime sector has become much harder to secure. In recent years the sector has seen a dramatic reduction in the number of banks offering ship finance, prompting a real need for a new financing approach. We believe a sustainable focus is now an imperative for the sector to thrive and Infinity can help deliver this with Meta Unit financed fleets.”