The New York Stock Exchange and Blockchain.com have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore wider global access to tokenized U.S. stocks and ETFs, combining NYSE's planned digital trading venue with Blockchain.com's international customer network. According to the latest announcement, the partnership will provide Blockchain.com's user base access to tokenized U.S. exchange-listed equities and ETFs on the NYSE's previously announced digital ATS, subject to any required regulatory approvals. The collaboration seeks to broaden the NYSE's access to crypto-native investors through Blockchain.com's global customer base, with the initiative designed to give millions of crypto users access to tokenized U.S. stocks and exchange-traded funds. As Blockchain.com CEO Peter Smith stated, 'Tokenized stocks are one of the most impactful advancements in the modern financial landscape, and a key catalyst for greater economic freedom.' He emphasized that 'People shouldn't be limited in owning stocks based on where they happen to live or the brokerage and information they may or may not have access to. Connecting to the NYSE digital ATS will enable us to extend the opportunity to invest in these digital assets to tens of millions of Blockchain.com users around the world.'
As reported by Reuters, Intercontinental Exchange, the parent company of NYSE, will distribute Blockchain.com's cryptocurrency market data and analytics, while Blockchain.com will incorporate NYSE data into its application. The agreement also covers the exchange of market data between the two companies, with ICE Data Services, an affiliate of NYSE parent Intercontinental Exchange, planning to distribute Blockchain.com's crypto market data and analytics to its subscribing clients. Meanwhile, Blockchain.com plans to add selected ICE and NYSE market data feeds to its application, providing its more than 44 million verified accounts with access to real-time stock information. The integration would provide users with real-time equity-market information and round-the-clock trading capabilities, with the latest MOU specifically including bidirectional market data distribution across the companies' respective platforms.
According to the latest announcement, the partnership will enable global, 24/7/365 trading of tokenized securities through the NYSE's digital ATS platform. Blockchain-based stock tokens offer significant advantages including fractional ownership, around-the-clock trading decoupled from when markets are open, investment access to investors anywhere around the globe, and faster, more transparent onchain settlement. The planned NYSE platform is designed to support round-the-clock trading and onchain settlement of tokenized securities, with the platform also supporting fractional trading and stablecoin-based funding. Blockchain.com, based in London and Dallas, has already started selling tokenised stocks to customers in Europe, though a spokesperson for the company declined to comment on how many customers had bought them. The planned NYSE platform represents a significant step toward mainstream adoption of blockchain-based securities, with the collaboration following similar developments by other major exchanges.
According to Reuters, the initiative comes as financial institutions increasingly explore blockchain technology as a way to modernise trading and settlement infrastructure and broaden access to financial assets. The partnership has raised questions over investor protection, particularly around voting rights, dividends and the legal structure supporting the tokens. However, the US Securities and Exchange Commission has unveiled an exemption that will allow platforms to sell blockchain-based versions of stocks and other securities, without having to follow many of the rules that apply to stock exchanges. The framework is intended to facilitate limited onchain trading while regulators assess the technology and consider longer-term rules. Tokenized products can differ from traditional shares in their structure and ownership rights, with Blockchain.com's existing Ondo-powered products tracking the economic performance of underlying U.S. stocks and ETFs, with assets held with licensed U.S. custodians backing those products. The September 17 SEC exemption allows certain Tokenized Securities Venues (TSVs) to operate with specific conditions, including maximum 75 Tier 1 and 250 Tier 2 stock symbols, and requires 30-day issuer notice before trading third-party tokens.
According to the latest announcement, the partnership comes as tokenization moves deeper into mainstream finance, with Citi Institute estimating the tokenized asset market could reach $5.5 trillion by 2030 under its base-case scenario. NYSE Group President Lynn Martin described the partnership as 'the future of capital markets belonging to institutions that unite the trust of traditional finance with the innovation and accessibility of digital assets.' She emphasized that 'Blockchain.com's international footprint and digital asset expertise make it a natural complement to our tokenized securities platform upon launch. We look forward to furthering their efforts to bring customers' trading activity onto the blockchain and giving them more data and choice in how they participate in the digital financial ecosystem.' The collaboration follows similar developments by other major exchanges, with London Stock Exchange Group planning to launch tokenised UK shares and working with Kraken's parent Payward on blockchain-based equity trading, positioning both companies at the forefront of this transformative financial technology. The Depository Trust Company (DTC) has also announced production trades using tokenized representations of assets held at DTC, with a planned October service launch targeting wider tokenization services.
