Public IPv4 addresses are now valuable loan collateral and can be worth millions

IPv4.Global
(Image credit: IPv4.Global)

IPv4. Global has launched a new lending program that uses a borrower's IPv4 addresses as collateral. The firm, which describes itself as "the world's largest, most trusted and transparent IPv4 marketplace," says the new loan facility is a first-of-its-kind offer to customers.

We've previously covered news concerning the scarcity of IPv4 addresses, and they certainly seem to be valuable nowadays. The Register reports that network operator Cogent has previously raised $206 million worth of notes solely backed by its IPv4 assets.

Mark Tyson
News Editor

Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason.

  • DS426
    At least it's easier to deploy IPv6 for consumers, which then passes thru the benefit of keeping costs down for that huge portion of the market that is more price-sensitive than businesses and governments.

    An article of IPv6 adoption progress (note that dual TCP/IP stacks are used in many cases, so it's not a matter yet of IPv6 full replacing IPv4 but just bringing interoperability up to par and provide a sort of future-proofing).
    https://blogs.cisco.com/government/ipv6-in-2025-where-are-we
    Reply