Blockchain.com and the New York Stock Exchange have signed a memorandum of understanding to offer tokenized U.S. stocks and ETFs to Blockchain.com's 44 million users. The service will run on the NYSE's planned digital alternative trading system, which features 24/7 trading and instant on-chain settlement. The deal also includes a mutual market data exchange. The partnership follows a new five-year SEC 'Innovation Exemption' designed to support regulated on-chain stock trading.
NYSE and Blockchain.com Partnership
- ▪Blockchain.com and the New York Stock Exchange signed a memorandum of understanding on September 23, 2026, to provide Blockchain.com users access to tokenized U.S. exchange-listed stocks and exchange-traded funds
- ▪The proposed partnership between Blockchain.com and the New York Stock Exchange remains subject to regulatory approval and the official launch of NYSE's digital alternative trading system
NYSE's Planned Digital Trading Platform
- ▪TD Securities vice president Reid Noch stated that the New York Stock Exchange's planned digital alternative trading system appears targeted at retail flow due to its 24/7 trading and request-for-quote functionality
- ▪The New York Stock Exchange signed an agreement with Securitize in March 2026 to serve as a digital transfer agent and broker-dealer participant on NYSE's planned digital trading platform
- ▪The New York Stock Exchange announced in January 2026 that it is building a digital alternative trading system to support 24/7 trading and instant on-chain settlement of tokenized securities
- ▪The New York Stock Exchange's planned digital alternative trading system will support fractional shares, stablecoin funding, and allow token holders to retain traditional rights like dividends and voting
Market Data Integration Agreement
- ▪Under the NYSE-Blockchain.com memorandum of understanding, ICE Data Services plans to distribute Blockchain.com's crypto market data, while Blockchain.com will integrate NYSE and ICE real-time market data feeds into its platform
- ▪Blockchain.com plans to make the integrated NYSE and ICE real-time stock data feeds accessible to its users through its app and its AI assistant, June
SEC Innovation Exemption
- ▪The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission introduced a five-year Innovation Exemption in September 2026, allowing eligible venues to trade tokenized stocks on public blockchains without registering as exchanges
- ▪SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce stated that the SEC's Innovation Exemption leaves open the possibility of other approaches to tokenized securities outside its specific framework
Tokenized stock market growth
- ▪The global tokenized stock market reached a distributed value of $3.14 billion as of September 23, 2026, representing an 18% increase over the preceding 30 days, according to RWA.xyz data
- ▪The number of tokenized stock holders globally climbed nearly 72% to 3.87 million as of September 23, 2026, according to RWA.xyz data
Debatable claims
- ▪Tokenized stocks democratize access to global capital markets
- ▪The SEC should permit tokenized stock trading on public blockchains without full exchange registration
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