Blockchain.com and the NYSE are collaborating to offer global users access to tokenized US stocks and ETFs via a new digital ATS. com and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) have announced a strategic collaboration to provide global users with access to tokenized US stocks and exchange-traded funds.
The companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on September 23, 2026, outlining a plan to connect Blockchain.com’s vast user base with the NYSE’s upcoming digital Alternative Trading System (ATS).
The agreement represents a significant step in merging traditional financial markets with the blockchain ecosystem. While not yet a live service, the plan would allow Blockchain.com’s more than 44 million confirmed account holders to trade on-chain versions of NYSE-listed securities. This could eventually enable 24/7 trading, fractional ownership, and near-instant settlement, features long sought by proponents of asset tokenization.
Bridging the gap with tokenized US stocks
The collaboration is designed as a multi-faceted partnership extending beyond simple asset distribution. It establishes a framework for joint product development and a bidirectional flow of market data, signaling a deeper integration between the two financial worlds. The core of the plan involves giving Blockchain.com’s global clients a direct pipeline to tokenized securities trading on the NYSE’s purpose-built digital venue.
“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,” said Peter Smith, CEO and Co-Founder of Blockchain.com. He added that connecting to the NYSE digital ATS would extend this investment opportunity to tens of millions of users.
For the NYSE, the deal provides a ready-made distribution channel to a large, crypto-native audience that has historically been difficult for traditional exchanges to reach.
In a move that benefits institutional traders, ICE Data Services, part of NYSE parent Intercontinental Exchange, will distribute Blockchain.com’s crypto market data and analytics to its subscribers. Conversely, Blockchain.com will integrate certain ICE and NYSE stock market data feeds into its application. This provides its retail users with real-time stock information, enriching its own platform and further blurring the lines between crypto and equity investing.
Navigating the path to regulatory approval
Both companies have stressed that the launch of any service is contingent on receiving all necessary regulatory approvals. The announcement comes just a week after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) introduced a five-year “Innovation Exemption” for certain on-chain venues. The move conditionally cleared onchain tokenized stock trading for eligible platforms, providing a potential framework for the NYSE’s initiative.
This new exemption specifically allows for the sale of tokenized stocks that confer genuine ownership rights, including voting and dividends, to the token holder. This is a crucial distinction from earlier synthetic products that merely tracked a stock’s price without providing any shareholder rights. The timing of the NYSE and Blockchain.com announcement suggests confidence in this new regulatory path.
The NYSE’s digital ATS itself is a work in progress, first announced in January 2026. The exchange has been methodically building the required infrastructure for 24/7 trading, stablecoin funding, and immediate onchain settlement. NYSE Group President Lynn Martin commented, “The future of capital markets belongs to institutions that unite the trust of traditional finance with the innovation and accessibility of digital assets.”
Building the infrastructure for on-chain finance
This collaboration does not exist in isolation. It is the latest in a series of strategic moves by the NYSE to build out a comprehensive ecosystem for digital assets. In March 2026, the exchange partnered with Securitize, naming it the first digital transfer agent eligible to mint blockchain-native securities for its planned platform.
Securitize’s stock (SECZ) jumped 24% on the day of the Blockchain.com announcement, indicating investor enthusiasm for the sector.
The NYSE also participated in The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation’s (DTCC) tokenization pilot in July 2026. The initiative involved over 30 major financial players, including BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, and Nasdaq, testing the infrastructure for on-chain settlement. These efforts underscore a broad, industry-wide push toward the tokenization of real-world assets (RWAs), a market that Citi Institute forecasts could reach $5.5 trillion by 2030.
The plan to include exchange-traded funds is particularly notable. The category has seen soaring interest from investors, a trend highlighted by the recent surges in bitcoin ETF inflows. Offering a tokenized version of these popular products could unlock significant new demand from a global, digitally-native investor base that operates outside of traditional brokerage hours and systems.
An expansion of existing tokenized products
For Blockchain.com, this deal represents a major expansion of its ambitions in the tokenized securities space. The company already has experience in this area, building on its existing partnership with Ondo Finance to offer on-chain versions of U.S. equities.
That service provides over 200 tokenized stocks and ETFs to eligible users in 30 European Economic Area countries, as well as parts of Africa and South America.
However, the direct collaboration with the NYSE elevates this strategy substantially. It transitions Blockchain.com from a distributor of third-party tokenized products to a key partner integrated directly with the source exchange. This closer relationship promises greater efficiency and legitimacy, bringing the trading of digital securities closer to the heart of the U.S. financial system.
While no launch date has been set, the agreement between Blockchain.com and the NYSE is a clear declaration of intent. It signals that the foundational work to bring traditional securities onto the blockchain is not only underway but is now being led by some of the most established names in both finance and crypto.
The market reacted positively to the news, with shares of NYSE parent Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) gaining 2.7% in early trading.