El Salvador“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
Asset tokenization in El Salvador
We build the platform to tokenize debt, equity interests and revenue rights in El Salvador under the Digital Assets Issuance Law: investor onboarding, ERC-3643 tokens and integration with the DASP that places the issuance, coordinated with the structurer and law firm that prepare the CNAD filing.
Tokenize your asset
They trust Metlabs to tokenize their assets
Why El Salvador
Why tokenize assets in El Salvador?
Since 2023 El Salvador has had its own digital asset issuance law, LEAD, and a dedicated supervisor, the CNAD. A LEAD token is not a negotiable security: it follows a procedure with a registered structurer, a certified disclosure document and CNAD authorization, and the CNAD public list already exceeds 250 issuances. The issuer decides which right to offer and through which route.
50
qualified investors at most in a private offering, which requires a CNAD no-objection
CNAD · private offeringWhat gets tokenized
Debt, equity and revenue: what gets tokenized in El Salvador
Almost every tokenized issuance represents one of these three rights against the issuer, and LEAD names them in nearly the same terms: public offerings of debt, ownership and revenue. The right determines what the Relevant Information Document must disclose and what the token enforces, and it is settled before the network or the token standard.
| Right | Debt | Equity | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| What is issued | Debt token | Ownership token | Revenue token |
| The investor receives | The investor holds a claim against the issuer: it receives interest and gets the principal back at maturity. | The investor obtains an ownership right in the issuer or in another entity, sometimes limited to the economic rights of its shares. | The investor receives a share of a project's income or cash flows: lot sales, rents, energy or royalties. |
| The token enforces |
|
|
|
| Issuer | S.A. de C.V., S.A.S. or Ltda. | S.A. de C.V. or S.A.S. de C.V. | S.A. de C.V., S.A.S. or Ltda. |
| Register | The DLT network; CNAD record | The DLT network; CNAD record | The DLT network; CNAD record |
| Law | LEAD, art. 5(l) | LEAD, art. 5(m) | LEAD, art. 5(n) |
| How it is issued | LEAD defines a public debt offering as one that establishes a claim of the issuer in favor of the acquirer. The digital asset is not a negotiable security, so neither the Securities Market Law nor the book-entry law applies to it. The CNAD authorizes the issuance and assigns it a record number. | An ownership offering grants an ownership right in the issuer or in another entity. Because the token is not a negotiable security, it does not replace the company's share: the DIR sets out which rights it conveys. Some recorded issuances grant only the economic rights of certain shares. | A revenue offering grants the right to receive income or cash flows, in fiat money or in digital assets. Some developers issue a debt token and a revenue token side by side, the latter over the net cash flows from selling a project's residential lots. |
Regulation
Regulation guide for El SalvadorWhich regulation applies to tokenization in El Salvador?
The Digital Assets Issuance Law, LEAD, governs public offerings of digital assets and their participants, and the National Digital Assets Commission, the CNAD, enforces it. A digital asset issued under LEAD is not treated as a negotiable security: the Commercial Code rules on negotiable instruments, the Securities Market Law and the electronic book-entry law do not apply to it.
A public offering needs a structurer registered with the CNAD, the Relevant Information Document, or DIR, and a favorable report from a registered certifier. With that filing, the CNAD authorizes the issuance, assigns it a record number and enters the issuer in its register. In practice, the issuance is placed on the platform of a digital asset service provider, or DASP, which the law requires to identify every acquirer.
A private offering takes another route: it is addressed to no more than 50 qualified investors, with a registered structurer and a CNAD no-objection. Since 2023, a certificate issued by an authorized DASP over digital assets has the force of an enforceable instrument. Salvadoran authorization does not work as a permit in other countries. We coordinate the structure with the law firm and the structurer, and registered DASPs provide the regulated services.
El Salvador
FavourableScore88
- Scope
- El Salvador
- Authorities
- CNAD, BCR, SSF, UIF
- Latest regulatory change
- Apr 2025
Key authorisations
- Digital asset service provider registration with CNAD
- Issuer registration and public offering approval, where applicable
- Non-objection procedure for private offerings
- Certifier registration to perform that function
Our legal partners
Methodology
How we tokenize an asset in El Salvador, step by step
The four phases of our methodology, with the parties involved in El Salvador. The law firm, the structurer and our engineering team work in parallel from the asset review to investor acquisition.
We review the asset's title, encumbrances and cash flows, and decide with the issuer whether the token will be a debt, ownership or revenue token, the three offerings LEAD names. That sets the issuing company, the amount and the rules the DIR has to include.
The law firm and a structurer registered with the CNAD prepare the DIR and choose the route: a public offering, with a registered certifier's report and CNAD authorization, or a private offering to no more than 50 qualified investors, with a no-objection.
We configure the white label platform with your brand: investor onboarding with KYC, signature, payment and ERC-3643 tokens carrying the offer's rules. The integration with the DASP that places the issuance and coupon or distribution schedules are custom development.
With the issuer and the DASP, we prepare the offer page, which must match the authorized DIR, and measure the journey to a paid subscription. After the issuance, the platform handles distributions, transfers between verified investors and the information the issuer must keep published.
Milestones
Tokenization milestones in El Salvador
The dates that set El Salvador's digital asset issuance regime in motion, taken from our regulation guide. Each milestone links to its source.
See the full timelinePublication of the Digital Assets Issuance Law
Legislative Decree 643 is published in Official Gazette 16, volume 438. Article 47 provides for commencement eight days after publication.
CNAD · Published LEADFirst DASP licence under LEAD announced
Bitfinex Securities El Salvador announces the first licence under the new framework. The milestone is attributed to the entity’s announcement and specific permission, without extending it to the rest of the group.
Bitfinex Securities · Licence announcementAmendment on certifications and settlement published
Decree 781 is published in Official Gazette 132, volume 440. It adds enforcement effects to certain certifications and provides for DASP access to payment and settlement systems with BCR authorisation.
Legislative Assembly · Decree 781First stablecoin issuer registrations reported by CNAD
According to the official communication of 29 July, Moon Gold El Salvador and Moon Gold NA were registered on 20 June as issuers EME-0001 and EME-0002. The registration date is distinguished from the news publication date.
CNAD · Registration announcement
Reviews in El Salvador
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
Platform
What does our white label tokenization platform include in El Salvador?
The investor portal, ERC-3643 tokens and issuer console, under your brand. Out of the box it handles onboarding, signing, payment and distributions; anything else your issuance needs, such as a local payment method or a connection to your bank or custodian, we build on the same platform.
Request a demo
- Your brand and domainYour visual identity and legal notices on the investor portal.
- Investor onboardingSign-up, KYC with DUI, KYB, AML controls and a custodial wallet.
- End-to-end investmentElectronic signature and dollar payment via Transfer365 or stablecoin (USDT/USDC).
- ERC-3643 tokensEach subscription is issued under the rules of the CNAD-authorized DIR.
- Issuer consoleProjects, investors, dollar reconciliation, distributions and reporting.
- Compliance and audit trailKYC and AML file per investor and an exportable audit log.
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.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about tokenization in El Salvador
What we are asked before a project starts.
Talk to our teamIs asset tokenization legal in El Salvador?
Yes. The Digital Assets Issuance Law governs public offerings of digital assets, including debt, ownership and revenue tokens, and the CNAD authorizes them one by one. What requires registration is each role: issuing with authorization, structuring, certifying the DIR and providing services as a DASP.
Can a foreign company issue under LEAD?
Yes. LEAD treats as an issuer anyone domiciled in El Salvador, anyone using a platform domiciled in the country and anyone promoting an offering to Salvadoran acquirers, and the CNAD list includes foreign issuers. A foreign DASP, by contrast, must set up a corporation or a branch in El Salvador.
What is the difference between a public and a private offering in El Salvador?
A public offering is addressed to the general public: it needs the DIR, a registered certifier's report and CNAD authorization, which the CNAD has five business days to decide. A private offering is addressed to no more than 50 qualified investors and requires a CNAD no-objection, within 20 business days.
Does the token give ownership of the property?
Not by itself. A token issued under LEAD does not replace the formalities for transferring real estate. In a real estate financing it usually grants a claim against the issuer or a right to the project's cash flows, without direct ownership of the building, and the authorized DIR sets out what the investor acquires.
Asset tokenization
Assets we tokenize in El Salvador.
Asset tokenization
Articles on tokenization
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 is tokenization of companies and startups? Essential guide 2026
Rights, company form, DLT records and funding routes: criteria for structuring a company issuance without assuming liquidity.
OpenZeppelin and ERC-3643: how a security token is built
What OpenZeppelin libraries and ERC-3643 controls provide, and what a securities issuance also requires: rights, permissions, operations and review.
Tokenize your asset in El Salvador
Tell us which right you want to issue and we will propose the technical structure, timeline and phased budget.
Where we are
We're your tokenization company in:
Metlabs Offices
Av. García Sabell, 1, Edificio Proa 15009 A Coruña, Spain
We tokenize assets in
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