NYSE-Blockchain.com Tokenised Stock MOU | LeapRate

NYSE Group and Blockchain.com have signed a preliminary memorandum of understanding making Blockchain.com a distribution channel for NYSE’s planned tokenised-securities venue, subject to regulatory approval. The MOU, signed on Wednesday, is intended to give Blockchain.com’s user base access to tokenised US-listed equities and ETFs once NYSE’s digital alternative trading system (ATS) is live.

NYSE announced the tokenised-securities venue in January 2026, envisaging 24-hour trading, fractional orders, stablecoin-based funding and on-chain settlement built on its Pillar matching engine, but the exchange needs distribution beyond its existing client base to make that model work. Blockchain.com brings more than 44 million confirmed accounts across more than 70 jurisdictions, positioning it as a crypto-native complement to NYSE’s institutional footprint.

The structure keeps the two firms’ roles separate. NYSE would retain the trading and matching infrastructure for the tokenised venue, while Blockchain.com adds the customer-access and distribution layer, routing eligible users into the digital ATS rather than operating a parallel trading or settlement system. A linked market-data agreement runs alongside the MOU: ICE Data Services, an NYSE/ICE affiliate, will distribute Blockchain.com’s crypto market data and analytics to its subscribing clients, while Blockchain.com plans to incorporate ICE and NYSE exchange data feeds into its own app.

Peter Smith, executive chairman, chief executive and co-founder of Blockchain.com, said connecting to the NYSE digital ATS would let the firm extend access to tokenised assets to tens of millions of its users worldwide.

The future of capital markets belongs to institutions that unite the trust of traditional finance with the innovation and accessibility of digital assets. Blockchain.com’s international footprint and digital asset expertise make it a natural complement to our tokenized securities platform upon launch.

Lynn Martin, NYSE Group

None of this is operational yet. The MOU is preliminary and the connection to NYSE’s digital ATS still requires regulatory approval. Neither company has disclosed which jurisdictions would be included, which legal entity would provide the service, how accounts would be opened, or how custody and eligibility would work.

NYSE has also not said which stocks or ETFs would launch first, or when the digital ATS will go live. Tokenised stock buyers typically lack the full shareholder rights of conventional holders, though NYSE says its tokens would retain dividend and governance rights.