“One of the pioneering firms in web3 solutions, digital assets and tokenization, recognized for its innovation and solid reputation across Spain and Latin America.”
Jorge CorredorLawyer, Rincón Cuéllar & Asociados
Art tokenization. The work stays put. The right moves.
Art tokenization lets the company that owns a work in custody issue its shares as tokens, or sell the piece with its documented provenance. We build the platform that verifies every holder. The work never leaves custody when the shares change hands, and copyright stays with its owner.
They trust Metlabs with their art tokenization projects
Why now
Why tokenize art now?
Global art market sales reached an estimated $59.6 billion in 2025, according to Art Basel and UBS, and provenance is still scattered across certificates, expert opinions and archives. Eight in ten collectors under 35 surveyed by Deloitte and ArtTactic trust blockchain to register their works. Custody and the buyer's right are settled before the technology.
Platform
Platform for artwork records and investor management
The white label platform covers investor onboarding, e-signature, payments and ERC-3643 tokens. For an artwork or collection, we custom-build the provenance record, custody and insurance tracking and votes on a sale, while storage providers, insurers and experts keep supplying the evidence.
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Artwork and provenance records
Attribution, expert reports, ownership history, exhibitions and condition, with the issuer and date always visible.
Custody and insurance
Where the work is, the active policy, exhibition loans and transport, each recorded with its responsible party and date.
KYC onboarding
Every buyer is onboarded with identity and source of funds checks, as anti-money laundering rules require.
Permissioned shares
They only move between eligible holders, with a minimum investment, quotas by investor type and an emergency pause.
Voting and exit
Custom module for shareholder decisions on artwork loans, purchase offers and the final sale, with documented distributions.
Valuations and reporting
An issuer console to update the appraisal, manage the shareholder register and send holders periodic reports.
Institutional custody, integrated
We integrate custody and key management providers through their APIs, including Fireblocks, BitGo, Coinbase Prime, Anchorage Digital, Copper and Ledger Enterprise. Depending on the provider and model, keys are managed with MPC or multisig so that none depends on a single device. If the token is a security, custody on behalf of clients is provided by an authorized entity.
Structure
Holding company shares or an artwork certificate
A right against the vehicle that holds the work or a certificate for the piece, rarely the work itself. Neither transfers copyright unless it is expressly assigned.
| Criterion | Shares in the vehicle | Certificate of the work | Right to sale proceeds |
|---|---|---|---|
| What the holder receives | A share of the capital of the company that owns the work | Proof of provenance and, where contract and law allow, ownership | A share of the price when the work is sold |
| Usual framework in the EU | Securities market rules | Civil law, outside MiCA if unique | Usually a financial instrument, case by case |
| Horizon | Until the work is sold or the agreed exit | As long as the piece exists | Until the sale or the agreed term |
| When we recommend it | High-value works with several buyers | Galleries and artists selling unique pieces | Collections with a defined sale strategy |
What matters most is how many buyers the work will have and whether a sale is planned. Your legal counsel decides, and the token only enforces what the documents set out.
Methodology
How we tokenize an artwork, step by step
Shares in the company that owns a work, a provenance certificate or a right to its sale proceeds follow four phases. Appraisal, custody, the law firm's opinion and the platform move in parallel.
We study the work, its provenance, appraisal, insurance and custody, and define what the token represents, shares in the owning vehicle, a certificate for the piece or a right to its sale proceeds. The output is the issuance structure, with the appraisal and the custody and insurance costs.
The law firm classifies the token, assesses whether the vehicle is an alternative investment fund, confirms that neither the work nor its exploitation rights pass to holders and sets the offering route. Its conclusions become token rules, and the resale right owed to the artist or their heirs is set aside in the distribution of the final sale.
The white label platform under the issuer's brand covers KYC onboarding, e-signature, SEPA or stablecoin payment, ERC-3643 tokens and distributions. The provenance record, the custody and insurance log and shareholder voting are custom-built.
The issuance reaches people through the issuer's collector network, galleries and digital channels, and we measure how many visitors go on to subscribe. Afterward we prepare shareholder meetings, condition reports and the final sale of the work with the issuer.
Assets
What art and collectibles can be tokenized?
Any piece with documented attribution, professional custody and a buyer who understands the right they acquire. The category matters less than the provenance.
Painting and sculpture
Unique works with documented expert opinions, provenance and condition.
Photography and prints
Numbered editions where print run, medium and rights stay distinct.
Digital art
Works where the file, license and storage form part of the product.
Watches and cars
Collector pieces with a service history, origin and custody.
Wine and historic objects
Vintages, manuscripts and objects with controlled provenance and storage.
Whole collections
Groups of works managed by a vehicle with a valuation policy.
Reviews
What do our clients think of Metlabs?
“We structured the tokenization of real estate projects with them, and I value the team's ability to understand our corporate needs and genuinely solve them.”
Joan MejíaManager, GLOBYNE
“They advised us on the feasibility of tokenizing real estate assets in Uruguay with direct, cordial treatment. A professional team, responsive and always available.”
Álvaro Silva SantamaríaCEO, Sp Inmuebles
“Great professionals at structuring tokenized projects, with technical command and attention to detail that inspire full confidence at every stage of the work.”
Francisco BetancourtVerified Google review
“As a blockchain lawyer, I value their experience and professionalism in consulting and executing tokenization projects. Technology partners you can fully trust.”
Vanessa RivasBlockchain lawyer, El Salvador
“Great professionals, very attentive to their clients and always mindful of every detail. Working with their team has been a genuine pleasure from start to finish.”
CriptorentVerified Google review
“A very professional yet approachable company that empathizes with your doubts and needs. Highly recommended for entrepreneurs with a tokenization project.”
Javier EspasaTokenization entrepreneur
“Exceptional in every sense. From legal support I value their rigor and transparency: working with Metlabs means professionalism, innovation and security.”
Pedro A. Agúndez MéndezGoogle Local Guide
“Excellent service across blockchain development, asset tokenization and consulting. A very professional team that I recommend wholeheartedly, without reservation.”
José Luis DíazVerified Google review
“I have worked with them on several projects and they are very professional. A guarantee that everything turns out perfectly. Without a doubt, 100% recommended.”
Ignacio Fernández JiménezVerified Google review
“One of the pioneering firms in web3 solutions, digital assets and tokenization, recognized for its innovation and solid reputation across Spain and Latin America.”
Jorge CorredorLawyer, Rincón Cuéllar & Asociados
“Great professionals at structuring tokenized projects, with technical command and attention to detail that inspire full confidence at every stage of the work.”
Francisco BetancourtVerified Google review
“A very professional yet approachable company that empathizes with your doubts and needs. Highly recommended for entrepreneurs with a tokenization project.”
Javier EspasaTokenization entrepreneur
“I have worked with them on several projects and they are very professional. A guarantee that everything turns out perfectly. Without a doubt, 100% recommended.”
Ignacio Fernández JiménezVerified Google review
“We structured the tokenization of real estate projects with them, and I value the team's ability to understand our corporate needs and genuinely solve them.”
Joan MejíaManager, GLOBYNE
“As a blockchain lawyer, I value their experience and professionalism in consulting and executing tokenization projects. Technology partners you can fully trust.”
Vanessa RivasBlockchain lawyer, El Salvador
“Exceptional in every sense. From legal support I value their rigor and transparency: working with Metlabs means professionalism, innovation and security.”
Pedro A. Agúndez MéndezGoogle Local Guide
“They advised us on the feasibility of tokenizing real estate assets in Uruguay with direct, cordial treatment. A professional team, responsive and always available.”
Álvaro Silva SantamaríaCEO, Sp Inmuebles
“Great professionals, very attentive to their clients and always mindful of every detail. Working with their team has been a genuine pleasure from start to finish.”
CriptorentVerified Google review
“Excellent service across blockchain development, asset tokenization and consulting. A very professional team that I recommend wholeheartedly, without reservation.”
José Luis DíazVerified Google review
Regulation
Check the regulation by countryWhich regulation applies to art tokenization?
It depends on the right the token represents. Shares in the company that owns a work, or a right to its sale proceeds, offered with an expectation of returns are assessed as financial instruments, and a certificate for a unique piece generally falls outside MiCA.
Before writing code we settle with your law firm the attribution, chain of title, custody agreement, vehicle and which investors the offering targets.
In the European Union, MiCA excludes unique, non-fungible tokens, but interchangeable series and fractions may fall within it. A share or other instrument sold as an investment follows securities market rules, and a vehicle that raises capital from several investors to invest it under a defined investment policy may be an alternative investment fund. The vehicle, custody and register of holders must match what the platform shows.
In Spain, Law 10/2010 makes professional art dealers and intermediaries obliged entities under anti-money laundering rules, so KYC is not optional. Copyright stays with its owner unless expressly assigned. The artist's resale right arises when the work is resold through an art market professional, not when a tokenized share changes hands.
- SpainCNMV, Banco de España, SEPBLACFavourable100Oct 2026
- UAECMA, CBUAE, VARA, DFSA, FSRAFavourable95Apr 2026
- SwitzerlandFINMAFavourable90Jan 2026
- El SalvadorCNAD, BCR, SSF, UIFFavourable88Apr 2025
- ArgentinaNational Securities Commission and Financial Information UnitFavourable83Jun 2026
- United StatesSEC, CFTC, FinCENFavourable76Sep 2026
Spain
UAE
Switzerland
El Salvador
Argentina
United StatesOur legal partners
Does the token make its holder the owner of the work?
Only with an express legal basis for transferring ownership and documents that implement it. Usually the token represents a share in the company that owns the work, a security token, or a right over its sale. The piece remains in custody and is not delivered to each holder.
Does the token prove a work is authentic?
Not by itself. Authenticity depends on expert opinion, provenance and an accountable issuer. The token records who made each claim and when, and keeps later expert opinions without erasing the earlier evidence.
Can the tokenized shares be sold at any time?
Not necessarily. Fractionalization lets shares move between verified holders, but the market for a single work is narrow and the exit usually comes with the agreed sale of the piece. Until then, selling depends on finding another eligible buyer, and the price of a share is not guaranteed.
Who keeps the copyright of a tokenized artwork?
The artist or their heirs, unless it is expressly assigned in writing. Buying a token or a share does not grant the right to reproduce the work or exploit it commercially. If the project includes an image license, it is documented separately and the token references it.
How much does it cost to tokenize an artwork?
It depends mainly on the right the buyer receives and where the investors are. A certificate for a gallery's works is not the same as shares in the company that owns one piece, with investors in several countries. The first-phase analysis sets the scope and budget for the rest.
Asset tokenization
Other assets we tokenize.
Asset tokenization
Articles on tokenization
NFTs: real-world use cases beyond digital art
NFTs for access, names and digital items: verifiable uses, rights that need definition and limits to authenticity and interoperability.
Real Asset Tokenization: How RWA Tokenization Works
How to structure an RWA project: holder rights, issuance, recordkeeping, payments and recovery. What blockchain adds and what depends on the legal arrangement.
What are the differences between security tokens and utility tokens?
How to distinguish financial rights from service access, what legal classification examines and why a token’s name does not determine its regulation.
Structure your artwork's issuance before you tokenize it.
We start with the appraisal, chain of title and custody of the piece, then choose the right the buyer will receive.
