NYSE agrees to distribute tokenised US shares through Blockchain.com, subject to regulatory approval
Updated: 6 days ago
The exchange has found a distribution partner for a trading venue it has not yet launched. The agreement is an intention rather than a product, and the UK is not named in it.
NYSE Group and Blockchain.com said on 23 September 2026 that they had signed a memorandum of understanding under which Blockchain.com's account holders would be able to buy and sell tokenised versions of US exchange listed shares and exchange traded funds on a digital alternative trading system that NYSE is building. The announcement, issued from Dallas and New York, says the arrangement depends on regulatory approvals and gives no launch date.
An alternative trading system is a US venue that matches buyers and sellers of securities without being registered as an exchange. An exchange traded fund, or ETF, is a fund whose units trade on a market in the same way a share does. A tokenised version of either is a record of the same instrument held on a blockchain rather than in a conventional depository, which is what allows it to be traded outside normal market hours.
Blockchain.com reports 44 million confirmed accounts, support for more than 95 million wallets, and activity in over 70 jurisdictions. That reach is what NYSE is buying. The venue itself does not exist yet in tradeable form.
"Tokenized stocks are one of the most impactful advancements in the modern financial landscape," said Peter Smith, the executive chairman, chief executive and co-founder of Blockchain.com. Connecting to the NYSE system, he said, "will enable us to extend the opportunity to invest in these digital assets to tens of millions of Blockchain.com users around the world".
Lynn Martin, president of NYSE Group, said that "the future of capital markets belongs to institutions that unite the trust of traditional finance with the innovation and accessibility of digital assets".
The agreement also runs in both directions on market data. ICE Data Services, an affiliate of the exchange, will distribute Blockchain.com's crypto market data, and Blockchain.com will add NYSE and ICE equity data feeds to its own platform and to its AI assistant. Financial terms were not disclosed, and no list of eligible shares or funds was published.
What has and has not been decided
NYSE's parent, Intercontinental Exchange, set out its plan for a tokenised securities venue in January 2026, describing a system that would pair the exchange's Pillar matching engine with blockchain infrastructure to support continuous trading, near instant settlement and funding in stablecoins. Nine months later the venue is still pending regulatory clearance, and this week's announcement does not change that. What it adds is a named route to customers once the clearance arrives.
That distinction is worth holding onto, because announcements in this category arrive steadily. A memorandum of understanding commits two parties to work towards something. It is not a contract to deliver a service, and the phrase subject to required regulatory approvals is doing real work in this release.
Blockchain.com is not starting from zero in tokenised equities. The Block reported on 23 September 2026 that the company already offers tokenised shares and funds through a partnership with Ondo Finance across 30 countries in the European Economic Area, Africa and South America. The NYSE release makes no reference to that arrangement.
Where the UK sits
The UK is not mentioned anywhere in the announcement. Neither is any European market. The existing Ondo product covers the European Economic Area, a bloc the UK left, and the NYSE venue is a US system awaiting US approvals.
For a UK founder or investor the relevant question is not when this becomes available here. It is where the distribution layer for tokenised equity is being assembled, and who ends up owning it. Exchanges have spent 2026 acquiring or partnering their way towards consumer facing crypto platforms rather than building distribution themselves, and each deal of this kind settles a little more of that layer outside the UK. A tokenised share is only as useful as the venue that will trade it and the depository that will settle it, and both of those decisions are being made in other jurisdictions while the UK works through its own sandbox.
Whether that matters depends on something nobody has yet answered: whether tokenised versions of UK listed companies eventually trade on US venues under US rules, and what a UK issuer could do about it if they did.
How we got here
The venue Blockchain.com has signed up to was first described on 19 January 2026. NYSE said it was developing a platform for trading and onchain settlement of tokenised securities, subject to regulatory approval, that could support round-the-clock trading of US listed equities and ETFs, fractional shares, orders sized in dollars and immediate settlement funded with stablecoins or other tokenised capital. The design pairs the Pillar matching engine with post-trade infrastructure that can use more than one blockchain for settlement and custody.
Two design choices from January matter for anyone assessing the deal. Tokenised shares on the venue would be fungible with traditionally issued shares and carry the same dividend and governance rights, and access would be offered to qualified broker-dealers on a non-discriminatory basis. Separately, ICE said it was working with BNY and Citi to support tokenised deposits across its clearing houses. In March 2026 NYSE also partnered with Securitize to create tokenised assets for the planned platform.
What it means for UK founders and investors
Because access to the NYSE venue is designed to run through qualified broker-dealers, any UK investor would reach these tokens through an intermediary such as Blockchain.com rather than directly, and only where that intermediary is permitted to offer them. That makes the regulatory status of the distributor the practical question, not the exchange.
The fungibility point is the one UK issuers and founders should note. NYSE's model treats the token and the conventional share as the same security with the same rights, which is the opposite of the synthetic wrappers that dominated earlier tokenised stock products. The UK is testing the same principle for its own market infrastructure in the Digital Securities Sandbox. Companies weighing a tokenised share class may want to take professional advice on how rights and registers would line up.
Key facts at a glance
19 January 2026: NYSE announces a tokenised securities trading and onchain settlement platform, subject to approval.
March 2026: NYSE partners with Securitize to create tokenised assets for the platform.
23 September 2026: memorandum of understanding signed with Blockchain.com.
Planned features: 24/7 trading, fractional and dollar-sized orders, stablecoin funding and multi-chain settlement.
Tokens would be fungible with conventional shares, with the same dividend and governance rights.
No launch date or approval had been announced at the time of writing.
Further reading
Frequently asked questions
What did NYSE and Blockchain.com agree on tokenised US shares?
On 23 September 2026 NYSE Group and Blockchain.com signed a memorandum of understanding under which Blockchain.com's account holders would be able to buy and sell tokenised versions of US exchange listed shares and ETFs on a digital alternative trading system that NYSE is building.
When will tokenised NYSE shares be available on Blockchain.com?
No launch date has been given. The service depends on the NYSE venue launching and on regulatory approvals that have not yet been granted.
What is an alternative trading system?
An alternative trading system is a US venue that matches buyers and sellers of securities without being registered as an exchange.
Does the NYSE and Blockchain.com agreement cover the UK?
No. Neither the UK nor any European market is named in the announcement, and the NYSE venue is a US system awaiting US approvals.
Does Blockchain.com already offer tokenised shares?
Yes. The Block reported that Blockchain.com already offers tokenised shares and funds through a partnership with Ondo Finance across 30 countries in the European Economic Area, Africa and South America.
This is general information, not legal, tax or investment advice.
Key takeaways
NYSE Group and Blockchain.com signed a memorandum of understanding on 23 September 2026 to make tokenised US listed shares and ETFs available to Blockchain.com users on an NYSE digital alternative trading system.
The service is not live. It depends on the venue launching and on regulatory approvals that have not been granted, and no timeline was given.
Blockchain.com brings 44 million confirmed accounts and activity in more than 70 jurisdictions. Financial terms were not disclosed.
ICE Data Services will carry Blockchain.com's crypto data, and Blockchain.com will carry NYSE and ICE equity data.
Neither the UK nor the European Union appears in the announcement. Blockchain.com's existing tokenised share product, run with Ondo Finance, covers 30 European Economic Area countries plus markets in Africa and South America.
Sources
PR Newswire, "Blockchain.com and NYSE Partner to Explore Global, 24/7/365 Trading of Tokenized Securities", 23 September 2026.
The Block, "Blockchain.com, NYSE plan access to tokenized US stocks and ETFs", 23 September 2026.
Crowdfund Insider, "New York Stock Exchange, Blockchain.com Explore 24/7 Tokenized Stock Trading", 23 September 2026.
Ledger Insights, "NYSE to launch new venue for tokenized stocks", 19 January 2026.
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