The Securities and Exchange Commission is preparing to launch a framework for trading blockchain versions of popular Wall Street-listed stocks, according to a report published on Tuesday.
Will SEC Release Framework This Week?
The agency is expected to release its "innovation exemption" for trading tokenized stocks as early as Friday Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
The report mentioned that officials are still “working on the proposal,” and details may change before its release.
The SEC didn’t immediately return Benzinga’s request for comment.
Notably, the agency announced it will hold an open meeting Friday "to create a tailored offering regime for certain investment contracts involving crypto assets."
Similar reports emerged in May, but the agency opted to delay the release as it weighed comments from stock-exchange officials, public companies and other market participants.
Crypto Giants Already Testing the Concept
SEC Chair Paul Atkins first hinted at the so-called "innovation exemption" in April. The proposal aims to give qualified firms a regulatory sandbox, a limited window to issue and trade tokenized securities on-chain under lighter-touch compliance conditions, while still operating under SEC oversight.
Interestingly, exchange-traded fund expert Nate Geraci said that the CLARITY Act failing to pass is ironic because it hands the SEC free rein to fast-track cryptocurrency through existing laws with no congressional guardrails.
Tokenized equities are currently unavailable for trading in the U.S., though several firms are actively experimenting with the concept.
Robinhood Markets Inc. (NASDAQ:HOOD) launched tokenized stocks for its European customers last year, featuring high-profile private company equities, including OpenAI and SpaceX.
Coinbase Global Inc. (NASDAQ:COIN) launched its fully backed 1:1 tokenized U.S. stocks on-chain in June, allowing holders to trade, redeem, and collect dividends
The total market for tokenized stocks is worth over $2.50 billion, according to rwa.xyz, with a monthly transfer volume of $21 billion and a total number of holders of 1.16 million.
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