Prometheum is positioning traditional broker-dealers and registered investment advisers (RIAs) as the key to scaling tokenized securities beyond crypto exchanges. According to Aaron Kaplan, co-founder and co-CEO of Prometheum, the company believes 'the story of tokenization so far has been about issuance, but no one has addressed the challenge of how to get those products to mainstream investors'. As reported by Huo Xing Finance, Kaplan emphasizes that 'if tokenized assets cannot enter the brokerage systems investors are already using, then tokenization is merely a solution without a market'. The New York-based digital asset infrastructure firm recently launched Prometheum Capital's Digital Brokerage Solutions, a suite of correspondent clearing, custody and trading services designed to let broker-dealers offer crypto assets directly through traditional brokerage accounts.
The company highlights a significant market gap in tokenized securities distribution. According to Kaplan's statements to Huo Xing Finance, 'crypto has solved tokenization, but it hasn't solved distribution'. He notes that 'hundreds of billions of dollars in tokenized securities have already been issued on-chain, yet lack support from traditional broker-dealer channels, making large-scale user adoption difficult'. Prometheum operates a network of SEC-registered and FINRA-member broker-dealers designed to support the full lifecycle of blockchain-based securities, including issuance, trading, custody, clearing and settlement. The company positions itself as a bridge between traditional financial markets and digital assets, offering regulated infrastructure for tokenized securities, crypto assets and onchain financial products through existing brokerage and securities law frameworks.
Prometheum argues that traditional securities firms have been sidelined during crypto's rise because many digital asset platforms operated outside conventional securities regulation. As reported by Huo Xing Finance, Kaplan explains that 'by bringing blockchain-based assets into a regulated broker-dealer framework, firms can compete while maintaining investor protections such as asset segregation, custody controls and compliance oversight'. The company joined the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) Tokenization Working Group in May as one of more than 50 financial firms helping shape the development of the Depository Trust Company's tokenization service. Prometheum's inaugural correspondent clearing clients include Arete Wealth Management, Network 1 Financial Securities and an unnamed clearing broker-dealer.
The company is building what Kaplan calls a 'flywheel effect' connecting issuers with institutional distribution channels while giving traditional financial firms access to the growing market for blockchain-based assets. According to Huo Xing Finance reports, Prometheum's platform serves two primary functions: helping issuers distribute tokenized securities into the broader financial system and enabling traditional broker-dealers to build digital asset businesses without relying on crypto-native exchanges. Kaplan teased an upcoming institutional distribution partnership that he says will help attract larger issuers into the ecosystem. The broader thesis reflects a shift where firms are increasingly focused on integrating blockchain-based assets into existing financial distribution networks rather than token creation.
Prometheum is positioning itself around the idea that the future of securities markets will ultimately move onchain. As reported by Huo Xing Finance, Kaplan points to growing industry projections that tokenized real-world assets (RWA) could become a major segment of capital markets over the next decade. He emphasizes that 'integrating blockchain into capital markets isn't about replacing the system, it's about modernizing it so that issuers, broker-dealers, and investors all benefit from faster settlement, broader access, and more efficient distribution of investment products'. The company expects additional broker-dealers and RIAs to onboard in the coming months as demand grows for regulated digital asset infrastructure, with plans to launch on-chain distribution partnerships targeting large institutional issuers.
