Tokenization specialists Dinari Inc. and tZERO have officially launched their operating framework for broker-dealers to offer tokenized U.S. equities, marking a significant milestone in the tokenized securities market. According to the latest announcement, the companies have combined dShares™ technology and blockchain-based servicing with tZERO's regulated brokerage, custody, clearing, settlement, and shareholder servicing to create a unified solution for seamless integration of tokenized equity offerings into existing broker-dealer businesses. This collaboration represents the culmination of their strategic partnership announced on July 8, 2026, now delivering a comprehensive turnkey platform for the tokenized equity market. As reported by Dinari Inc., the partnership addresses the critical need for turnkey regulated infrastructure, operational simplicity, and economics that make adoption worthwhile for broker-dealers, specifically designed to give them a simpler path to launching tokenized equity products for their own customers. According to Dinari CEO Gabriel Otte, tokenized equities will not reach mainstream adoption until broker-dealers can offer them as naturally as traditional securities. tZERO Chairman and CEO Alan Konevsky emphasized that broker-dealers want more than tokenized assets – they need turnkey regulated infrastructure, operational simplicity, and economics that make adoption worthwhile, stating this collaboration provides a practical path for firms to participate in tokenized securities markets through a framework that combines issuance, trading, custody, clearing, settlement, and asset servicing.
The partnership delivers native 24/7 trading for eligible tokenized equities across supported venues and integrations, along with native fractional execution designed to support dollar-based investing, automated rebalancing, and modern portfolio workflows. The platform supports stablecoin-enabled settlement and dividend processing, automated corporate actions, governance, proxy support, and shareholder communications. As reported by Dinari Inc., the collaboration provides flexible custody models including omnibus account structures and individual self-custody wallets, plus API connectivity for broker-dealers, fintechs, RIAs, neobanks, and other financial platforms. Future capabilities include compliant, permissioned on-chain liquidity, collateral, financing, and DeFi-compatible programs as the dShares™ Financial Network expands. According to tZERO, the platform offers instant settlement, 24/7 trading, and global access while preserving traditional equity rights and protections. The addition of tZERO's regulated brokerage infrastructure also extends the platform to shareholder communications and potential future onchain collateral and financing services. The collaboration is intended to provide a practical path for firms to participate in tokenized securities markets through a framework that bridges traditional and DeFi ecosystems with trusted regulated trading and custody solutions that appeal to institutional users.
Built on Dinari Inc.'s custodial model, each dShare™ is backed one-for-one by the corresponding underlying security held with licensed custodians and preserves the rights, protections, and ownership associated with equity investing. According to the latest announcement, this includes passing through all features of investing in securities, including cash dividends, best trade execution at NBBO, automated corporate actions, and a direct claim on backing securities. The company operates the dShares Financial Network, a system where each token represents a 1:1 ownership claim on an underlying US equity, with examples including dAAPL backed by actual Apple shares, dTSLA by Tesla shares, and dNVDA by Nvidia shares. As reported by Dinari Inc., the collaboration provides flexible custody models including omnibus account structures and individual self-custody wallets, plus API connectivity for broker-dealers, fintechs, RIAs, neobanks, and other financial platforms. The dShares tokens currently live across multiple blockchain networks, including Arbitrum, Ethereum, Base, and Polygon. Dinari holds both SEC transfer-agent registration and FINRA broker-dealer status, making it the first U.S. platform legally cleared to offer blockchain-based shares to domestic investors. tZERO Digital Asset Securities, LLC is a broker-dealer registered with the SEC and member of FINRA and SIPC, serving as the custodian of all digital asset securities offered on tZERO's online brokerage platform.
The partnership comes as tokenized equities emerge as the next battleground in real-world assets, with competition intensifying over how public stocks should move onto blockchain networks. After U.S. Treasury funds became the first institutional trend for tokenization, firms are increasingly turning to public stocks, betting blockchain can modernize trading, settlement and shareholder recordkeeping. Some firms, such as Robinhood and Kraken's xStocks initiative, focus on creating blockchain-based representations of publicly traded shares via offshore structures, often called synthetic tokens, offered to non-U.S. investors. Others argue that tokenized stocks should be issued directly by the companies themselves. Securitize made that case last week when it listed its own shares on the New York Stock Exchange and simultaneously issued an onchain version of the stock on Avalanche and Solana, describing issuer-sponsored tokenization as the long-term model for public equities. Dinari occupies a middle ground, with its dShares backed one-for-one by underlying shares held with regulated custodians while preserving shareholder rights such as dividends and corporate actions. Founded in 2014, tZERO was among the first companies to build a regulated infrastructure for blockchain-based securities markets, while Dinari launched in 2021 and obtained broker-dealer registration in June 2025 for its subsidiary, making it the first U.S. platform legally cleared to offer blockchain-based shares to domestic investors.
