FC Barcelona partners with Blockchain fan engagement platform Chiliz

FC Barcelona has signed a new global partnership agreement with world leading blockchain-based fan engagement platform for sports & entertainment Chiliz. The agreement, which is part of Barca's new digital and commercial strategy, will help the Club stay closer to its global fanbase through Barca Fan Tokens ($BAR), digital assets that allow supporters to take part in polls and surveys on Chiliz fan voting & rewards mobile app Socios.com.

The agreement is the first blockchain partnership to be signed by the club, and is part of FC Barcelona's global expansion strategy. The new partnership boosts the Club's commitment to looking to new digital channels and formats for connecting and generating engagement with their global audience.

Josep Pont, FC Barcelona Board Member and Head of Commercial Area, stated, "We are proud to welcome Chiliz to the Barca family as a new global partner. This agreement will give us the chance to set up innovative marketing and partnership activations with a clear focus on the digital realm to take the Club closer to our fans around the world. This agreement also forms part of FC Barcelona's goal to become associated with leading brands that can help us consolidate our new commercial and digital strategy, with the development of new streams for the generation of resources helping to make us a benchmark both on and off the field."

Alexandre Drefyus, CEO & Founder of Socios.com & Chiliz added, "We are very excited to welcome FC Barcelona to Socios.com, and even more excited to start engaging with their massive fan base around the world. With over 300 million fans worldwide, Barca's fandom spans countries as well as cultures. The Club is without a doubt the most renowned and the most supported football club in the world and we can't wait to see their fans start to influence Club decisions. Adding FC Barcelona fans to the Socios.com global community takes us one step closer to our goal of mainstream adoption of blockchain. Every time a fan downloads the app, we are furthering education, and every time a fan buys a Fan Tokens, we are strengthening the use cases of this innovative technology."

Barca Fan Tokens will be available in Q2 2020. 40 million will be made available, with each $BAR costing €2 at the initial point of sale. Fans will be able to purchase Barca Fan Tokens when the FC Barcelona Fan Token Offering (FTO™) opens. In order to buy Barca Fan Tokens, fans must use Chiliz ($CHZ), the digital currency of Socios.com. Fans can buy $CHZ on the Socios.com app, or they can transfer from a digital wallet. Fan Tokens can also be purchased on Chiliz.net - the world's first crypto exchange for sports & entertainment. $CHZ is listed on many of the world's largest cryptocurrency exchanges. Fans will also be able to accumulate free $CHZ and $BAR Fan Tokens periodically through Token Hunt, Socios.com's in-app Augmented Reality (AR) feature.