Anthropic Voids Unauthorized Share Transfers, Triggering Bloodbath In Tokenized Markets

Anthropic warned investors that any unapproved sale or transfer of its private shares, including those packaged through tokenized products, is void and will not be recognized on the company’s books, escalating tensions over how restricted pre-IPO equity can be repackaged for retail traders. 

The AI company behind Claude quietly updated its investor-warning page Monday, stating that both preferred and common stock are subject to transfer restrictions contained in its bylaws. The notice, first published in February and revised this week, explicitly bans special purpose vehicles from acquiring its stock and casts doubt on structures claiming economic exposure to Anthropic shares.

“Any sale or transfer of Anthropic stock, or any interest in Anthropic stock, that has not been approved by our Board of Directors is void and will not be recognized on our books and records,” the company said. “This means that if someone purports to sell Anthropic shares without proper board approval, that transaction is invalid.”

Anthropic added that it does not permit special purpose vehicles to acquire its stock and that any such transfers are void. It also warned that third parties offering Anthropic shares to the public through direct sales, forward contracts, tokenized securities, or similar mechanisms are likely engaged in fraud or offering investments that may have no value.

"We do not permit special purpose vehicles (SPVs) to acquire Anthropic stock and any transfer of shares to an SPV are void under our transfer restrictions. Offers to invest in Anthropic’s past or future financing rounds through an SPV are prohibited." 

The company listed several firms as unauthorized, including Open Door Partners, Unicorns Exchange, Pachamama, Lionheart Ventures, Sydecar, Upmarket, and new offerings on Hiive and Forge Global.

Tokenized Markets in the Crosshairs

The update directly addresses the growing market for tokenized pre-IPO exposure. Over the past year, crypto platforms have created offerings tied to high-profile private companies such as Anthropic, SpaceX, and others. Some products are synthetic perpetuals that track implied valuations without holding underlying shares. Others, including certain tokenized offerings on PreStocks, aim to provide economic exposure through SPVs or secondary holdings.

Anthropic just published a statement that should terrify anyone buying private AI shares on secondary markets.

>>>>“Any sale or transfer of Anthropic stock… that has not been approved by our Board of Directors is void.”

Not restricted.
Not disputed.
Not under review.

Void.… pic.twitter.com/HjILRsdBku

— Swati Gupta (@hrswatigupta) May 12, 2026

PreStocks’ terms state that buyers receive no equity or shareholder rights in the underlying company, only economic exposure tied to reserve backing. However, the platform does not specify whether its Anthropic-linked tokens are structured through an SPV, leaving uncertainty around compliance with Anthropic’s restrictions.

PreStocks’ terms of service state that buyers receive no equity or shareholder rights in the underlying company, only economic exposure tied to reserve backing, However, it does not specify whether this exposure is delivered through a special purpose vehicle, leaving uncertainty around the exact structure behind its Anthropic-linked tokens, which the company says may be invalid.

That model may be more intuitive to investors, but it also runs more directly into the restrictions private companies place on who can buy, sell or hold interests in their stock. -Coindesk

Tokenized markets can generate eye-popping implied valuations even with limited underlying assets. PreStocks’ dashboard recently showed an implied valuation for Anthropic above $1.5 trillion and a market valuation around $1.37 trillion, despite the platform holding roughly $23 million in total assets, according to CoinDesk. Such prices create narrative and valuation risks that private companies cannot fully control. 

Florida-based crypto lawyer John Montague told the outlet last year "I think private companies may also initiate lawsuits alleging that this violates their governance documents, shareholders' agreements, investor rights agreements, or bylaws," adding "I view it as the issuer’s right to control the terms of transfer."

The Anthropic-linked token on PreStocks fell nearly 25% in a single day following the announcement, dropping to $1,023.90.

No public responses from the named platforms or firms had been issued as of Tuesday. The move follows a similar policy clarification by OpenAI and is expected to increase scrutiny of secondary and tokenized markets for private technology companies.

Anthropic, valued at $380 billion following its February funding round, directed equity-related inquiries to a dedicated email address and urged investors to verify offerings through regulatory channels and seek independent advice.

The frenzy around Anthropic equity has reached unusual levels. Last month, Bay Area investment banker Storm Duncan offered his $4.8 million Mill Valley estate in exchange for Anthropic shares rather than cash, highlighting how illiquid and highly sought-after the company’s pre-IPO stock has become.

The company has not issued further public comment beyond the updated notice.