Blockchain.com strikes deal with NYSE's parent for tokenized stock access

Blockchain.com and the New York Stock Exchange have signed a memorandum of understanding that would give Blockchain.com's users access to tokenized US stocks and ETFs through a digital alternative trading system NYSE is building. The arrangement depends on regulatory approval and the ATS platform's own launch — no date has been set for either.

How it's meant to work

The planned system would let users trade tokenized stocks and ETFs outside normal market hours, with fractional shares and stablecoin funding built in. Crucially, token holders would retain the rights that come with owning the underlying security — dividends and voting included — rather than holding a synthetic instrument stripped of those features. The deal also runs the other way: Intercontinental Exchange, NYSE's parent, will distribute Blockchain.com's crypto market data to its own client base, while Blockchain.com adds ICE and NYSE stock data feeds — including through its AI assistant, June — to an app used by 44 million confirmed accounts.

Part of a broader regulatory opening

The announcement follows the SEC's introduction of a five-year "innovation exemption" supporting onchain trading of tokenized US stocks. Blockchain.com CEO Peter Smith framed the tie-up as a way to extend the opportunity to invest in these digital assets to tens of millions of users around the world — language that positions the deal as riding a regulatory shift rather than getting ahead of it.