Nasdaq Makes Push to Launch Trading of Tokenized Stocks

Nasdaq is working with U.S. regulators to introduce trading of tokenized securities, becoming the latest major financial player on Wall Street to double down on a boom in tokenization amid an easing of crypto regulations under the Trump administration. If approved, the move would mark the first instance of tokenized securities being allowed to trade on a major U.S. stock exchange, and also signify the most ambitious attempt yet by an exchange operator to bring blockchain-based settlement into the national market system.

Nasdaq on Monday filed a proposal with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to tweak its rules to allow for trading of listed stocks and exchange-traded products on its main market in “either traditional digital or tokenized form.” The filing comes days after the SEC unveiled its rulemaking agenda, which included a potential amendment of its rules to allow for crypto to be traded on national securities exchanges and alternative trading systems. Investor demand for tokenized assets is rising globally. Proponents of the crypto industry have argued that tokenization can improve liquidity in the financial system.

Coinbase the largest U.S. crypto exchange, has also previously sought permission from the SEC to offer “tokenized equities” to its customers. Some major global banks, including Bank of America and Citigroup have said they could explore launching tokenized assets, including stablecoins. In its filing on Monday, Nasdaq said it believes the markets can use tokenization while “continuing to provide the benefits and protections of the national market system.”

“Wholesale exemptions from the national market system and related protections are neither necessary to achieve the goal of accommodating tokenization, nor are they in investors’ best interests,” Nasdaq said. In a post on his LinkedIn profile, Tal Cohen, president of Nasdaq, said the integration of tokenization and traditional markets offers “an extraordinary opportunity” to accelerate trade settlements, automate processes and improve efficiency.

However, the World Economic Forum, in a report released in May, pointed to a lack of sufficient secondary-market liquidity as well as the lack of a clear global standard as two major challenges for adoption while the World Federation of Exchanges voiced concern and called on regulators to crack down on the rush to tokenization.

Terron Gold