Chicago, United States, September 4, 2026 - Liquid Mercury announced that ACQUA1, LLC - the company’s subsidiary that runs the Lab Company program - completed the initial closing of its MERC exchange offering on September 1, 2026. ACQUA1 is structured to license Liquid Mercury technology to firms tokenizing real-world assets, collecting fees and retaining minority equity stakes from participating companies, with Liquid Mercury remaining the majority holder and Manager.
Under the terms of the initial offering, verified accredited investors subscribed by exchanging MERC tokens for non-voting Class B units of ACQUA1 at an initial conversion rate of 10 MERC per unit. As required by ACQUA1’s operating agreement and the offering documents, ACQUA1 is obligated to burn 100% of MERC it receives at each closing within five business days and is prohibited from transferring, trading, lending, staking, pledging, or otherwise deploying those tokens.
On September 2, 2026, ACQUA1 complied with that obligation by removing all tokens received at the initial closing - a total of 563,230,000 MERC - from circulation through a transfer to the designated dead address, consistent with the offering documentation.
Initial Closing Highlights
- Initial closing date: September 1, 2026
- MERC burned: 563,230,000
- Tokens transferred to the dead address: September 2, 2026
- Units issued: 56,323,000 non-voting Class B units of ACQUA1, LLC
- Securities framework: Offered under Rule 506(c) of Regulation D
- Conversion rate at initial closing: 10 MERC per unit
- On-chain evidence: ACQUA1-C tokens; ACQUA1-C tokens convert one-for-one into ACQUA1 tokens upon issuance
- Remaining scheduled closings: On or about October 30 and December 31, 2026; ACQUA1 may skip or terminate at its discretion; conversion rates at subsequent closings may differ
Liquid Mercury said that ACQUA1-C tokens were used to evidence the transaction on-chain and that those ACQUA1-C tokens convert one-for-one into ACQUA1 tokens upon issuance. Verified accredited investors seeking the full terms were directed to request documentation through acqua1.liquidmercury.com/contact.
In commentary included with the announcement, Tony Saliba, CEO and founder of Liquid Mercury, highlighted demand for the company’s licensing proposition. "Over the past 18 months, dozens of companies have approached Liquid Mercury seeking to tokenize their assets," Saliba said. "Many assumed they would need to raise capital and build this infrastructure from scratch. Licensing Mercury RWA lets them launch on systems that were already live and proven, at a fraction of the time and cost. ACQUA1 token holders now own a slice of the business that earns equity, plus fees from the companies in the Lab Company program."
Liquid Mercury described its broader business as providing professional crypto trading and digital asset marketplace infrastructure, with institutional-grade tools and access to liquidity across its Pro, OTC, and RWA platforms. The company positions Mercury RWA as an extension of that infrastructure into tokenized real-world assets, using $MERC as the platform and access-layer token. For more corporate information, Liquid Mercury noted www.liquidmercury.com as a resource.
As part of the investor notification, ACQUA1 confirmed that the MERC contract itself does not include a native burn function; the tokens were removed from circulation by transferring them to the dead address. The press materials further stated that supply outstanding excluding the dead address stood at 5,436,770,000 MERC as of the date of publication.
Verification and Contact
The company provided references to the on-chain burn transaction and the ACQUA1-C contract for verification purposes. Contact details for Liquid Mercury directors listed in the release included Kent Egan (ke@liquidmercury.com) and Ryan Hansen (hansenr@liquidmercury.com).
Offering and Investor Notice
This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities. Class B units of ACQUA1, LLC and the ACQUA1 tokens representing them are offered and sold in reliance on the exemption from registration provided by Rule 506(c) of Regulation D under the Securities Act of 1933, solely to verified accredited investors as defined in Rule 501(a) of Regulation D, and solely pursuant to ACQUA1’s confidential private placement memorandum, as supplemented, and definitive subscription documents, which contain important information, including risk factors. ACQUA1 tokens are restricted securities, are subject to transfer restrictions under ACQUA1’s operating agreement and may remain illiquid indefinitely; investors should not assume that Rule 144 will be available. Statements regarding future revenues, valuations, portfolio performance, and subsequent closings are forward-looking and subject to risks and uncertainties; actual results may differ materially. The MERC contract has no burn function; tokens are removed from circulation by transferring to the dead address. Supply outstanding excluding the dead address is 5,436,770,000 MERC, as of the date of publication.
Reporter: Sofia Navarro. Report prepared using company disclosures and on-chain confirmation referenced in the release.