Securitize Corp.

Securitize Corp. has sealed a deal with ARK Invest to tokenize the ARK Venture Fund, its first tokenization contract since the Securities and Exchange Commission issued what it called the Innovation Exemption allowing tokenized representation of traditional securities. The ARK Venture Fund, an actively managed closed-end interval fund holding private and public companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Stripe and Databricks, will become available on Ethereum, with Securitize providing the infrastructure for onchain issuance and the investor experience. ARK Invest CEO Cathie Wood said tokenizing the fund puts the firm's conviction in the evolution of capital markets into practice and called the partnership a natural extension of its mission to democratize access to disruptive innovation. Following the SEC's rules issuance on tokenized securities, Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage with a buy recommendation and a $21.20 price target, while Rosenblatt raised its price target to $13 from $11, citing the Innovation Exemption as a significant catalyst. Securitize manages around $5 billion of tokenized assets under management across 23 public blockchains, and the article notes that traditional financial assets total $319 trillion worldwide with only $39 billion, or 0.01 percent, currently on-chain.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has granted temporary, conditional relief allowing Tokenized Securities Venues to trade certain tokenized National Market System stocks through permissioned automated market makers and liquidity pools, opening a limited path for tokenized U.S. stock trading. The move follows the Senate's failure on September 15 to advance the CLARITY Act, when a procedural vote failed 49-50, short of the 60 votes required. The exemption is deliberately narrow: tokenized shares must carry the same basic rights as the corresponding traditional stock, including dividend and voting rights, and issuers must be given an opportunity to object before an unaffiliated third party begins trading a tokenized version of their shares. Trading will also face limits on symbols and volume, participating venues must meet access, transparency and other investor-protection requirements, and the relief expires five years after publication unless the regulatory framework changes before then. SEC Chairman Paul Atkins described the move as a step toward bringing U.S. capital markets on-chain while the agency evaluates longer-term rules, and Robinhood jumped more than 5% in early trading, while Coinbase, Circle, Bullish and Securitize also gained.

Securitize shares surged Thursday after federal regulators greenlit the issuing of tokenized stocks on some trading platforms in the U.S. The tokenization name was last up 14%, having peaked at a 24% gain. The Securities and Exchange Commission earlier in the day announced a temporary path for the limited trading of tokenized publicly traded U.S. stocks; the order, though not a formal regulation change, will remain in force for five years. SEC Chair Paul Atkins said the Innovation Exemption is designed to resolve challenges that have prevented responsible innovation from taking root in the United States while providing investor protections and market integrity standards. Securitize became the first major tokenization firm to go public in the U.S. in early July and holds roughly 9% of the tokenized market by assets under management, according to Needham Securities. The combined market value of tokenized assets has soared to $38.51 billion as of Thursday afternoon, up more than 70% over the past year, according to data provider RWA.xyz.

Ripple's RLUSD stablecoin has reached approximately $2.345 billion in market cap as of September 16, 2026, a 1,278% year-to-date increase that makes it the third-fastest growing stablecoin of the year, with daily transfer activity tripling since January to $750 million per day by August. Roughly $963 million of the token sits on the XRP Ledger and $1.05 billion on Ethereum. Ripple is pursuing a vertically integrated strategy built on acquisitions rather than validators, including the $1.25 billion purchase of Hidden Road, now rebranded Ripple Prime, which clears roughly $3 trillion annually and lets RLUSD serve as collateral with zero haircut for over 300 institutional clients, alongside the $1 billion acquisition of GTreasury's treasury management platform, which reaches 1,200 corporate treasurers processing $13 trillion annually. Integrations include a September 2025 partnership with DBS and Franklin Templeton for 24/7 trading of tokenized money market funds, a Securitize link allowing holders of BlackRock BUIDL and VanEck VBILL to swap into RLUSD around the clock, and a Mastercard and WebBank pilot marking the first time a regulated US bank has settled card transactions on a public blockchain using a stablecoin. Ripple holds a New York Department of Financial Services trust company charter and conditional OCC approval, and launched in Japan via SBI under the JFSA's revised Payment Services Act, positioning itself around private-sector consensus and state-level charters after the CLARITY Act failed on September 15. The Federal Reserve Master Account remains the key bottleneck, and expansion into L2 networks via Wormhole NTT is still pending NYDFS approval.

The Nikkei reported that San-in Godo Bank aims to issue digital bonds for the first time by a regional bank within fiscal year 2026. In collaboration with NTT Data and the Japan unit of US-based Securitize, the bank will build an issuance platform that can also be used by small and medium-sized enterprises. The digital bonds will adopt a self-offering method, where the issuer sells directly to investors without going through securities companies. The issuance amount is expected to be several hundred million yen, with plans to allow individual investors to purchase from tens of thousands of yen per unit. These are a type of security token issued and managed on a blockchain, suitable for operational efficiency and small-lot sales, and can reduce fee burdens compared to conventional bonds. The plan is to link NTT Data's core system, the "Regional Banks Joint Center," which is used by 13 regional banks, with Securitize's platform, with the aim of expanding to other regional banks in the future. San-in Godo Bank anticipates annual issuance demand of several billion yen, targeting about 10 client companies.

South Korea's Hanwha Investment & Securities, part of a conglomerate with roughly $200 billion in total assets, is building a tokenization platform on the Avalanche blockchain, but it is not acting alone. The platform, developed with FairSquare Lab since 2025, uses a dual-chain architecture with Avalanche for settlement and Hyperledger Besu for permissioned workflows, and Hanwha will participate in networks approved by the Korea Securities Depository, which is preparing its own multi-chain infrastructure. This coordinated institutional build spans securities firms, asset managers, and trading conglomerates, all targeting a February 2027 regulatory deadline set by the Financial Services Commission's three-phase tokenization roadmap unveiled on September 4. Hanwha is also the largest shareholder of Securitize with about 9.6% stake, and has invested in Xangle, Kresus, and raised its stake in Dunamu to 9.84% via a 597.8 billion won investment. Other players include Mirae Asset Global Investments, which signed an MOU with Ava Labs, POSCO International, which tokenized trade receivables, and NHN, which is building a payment blockchain, all converging on the same timeline. Avalanche hosts BlackRock's BUIDL fund with about $900 million in assets, and Progmat migrated Japan's largest security token platform to an Avalanche L1 covering over 452 billion yen, but the FSC's roadmap does not mandate a single blockchain, making Avalanche one of multiple options. South Korea's corporate crypto investment ban was lifted in January 2026, allowing listed companies to allocate up to 5% of shareholder equity annually to virtual assets, contrasting with the US, where regulatory clarity lags.

Securitize, a US real-world asset tokenization firm, and Socios.com, a sports fan token platform, announced on the 2nd that they have entered into a strategic partnership to tokenize and offer minority equity stakes in professional sports teams in a compliant manner. Under the 'Socios Equity Token' brand, the two companies plan to collaborate with sports teams, existing owners, and institutional investors to tokenize equity in accordance with securities laws, league requirements, club approvals, and jurisdictional constraints. Securitize will handle securities issuance, investor participation, and ownership record management, while Socios.com will lead engagement with the sports industry and the development of fan-facing participation layers. As background, the total value of global professional sports franchises is estimated at approximately $500 billion, yet most ownership is private, making access to minority equity stakes difficult. The digital assets aim to bring a portion of that value on-chain, enhancing distribution and price discovery. The specific teams, transaction terms, and blockchain used will be announced upon individual approvals, and these will be separate products from existing fan tokens.

Capital markets are converging on a single investable thesis for tokenized finance, driven by the integration of issuer, settlement, and liquidity layers. On July 2, 2026, Securitize Corp. listed on the NYSE via a SPAC merger, tokenizing its own stock on Avalanche and Solana, marking a milestone in onchain equities. The settlement layer is advancing with the DTCC targeting an October 2026 commercial launch for its tokenization service, covering U.S. Treasuries and Russell 1000 stocks, while NYLIM's tokenized US High Yield Bond Fund uses RedStone Settle for T+0 exits in about 300 milliseconds. In June 2026, a consortium including JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo announced a shared tokenized deposit network via The Clearing House, targeting a first-half 2027 launch to counter the roughly $263 billion in stablecoins. The January 18, 2027, GENIUS Act compliance deadline, with Treasury's August 2026 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, is accelerating this convergence, though liquidity remains the binding constraint as forecasts for onchain RWA value range from $4 trillion to $30 trillion by the early 2030s.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on September 1 published proposed amendments to rules and forms applicable to registered transfer agents. The comment period will be 60 days after publication in the Federal Register. Transfer agents are central players in the clearing and settlement system, maintaining ownership records and processing corporate actions such as mergers and dividend distributions. According to the SEC, these rules have not been substantially revised since they were established in the late 1970s to early 1980s. The proposal aims to "modernize" terminology in light of technological advances, reflecting electronic or blockchain-based recordkeeping and the realities of uncertificated securities. The registration forms TA-1 and TA-2 would also be revised, adding new disclosures on the use of distributed ledger technology (DLT) and the number of securities handled by tokenization model. The proposing release notes that transfer agents are operating at the forefront of advanced technologies, including tokenized securities and artificial intelligence (AI). Securitize and tZERO are already SEC-registered transfer agents. SEC Chairman Paul Atkins said the proposal "would rationalize and modernize the rules to reflect the current practices of transfer agents, including the use of electronic communications and blockchain technology."

Neuberger Berman, which manages about 613 billion dollars in assets, has launched its first tokenized fund, the Neuberger Securitize High Income Tokenized Fund, known as HINC, using Securitize infrastructure. HINC is deployed across four blockchains: Ethereum, Solana, Avalanche, and Sui, and invests in high-yield bonds, collateralized loan obligations, and leveraged loans. Neuberger's fixed income division manages more than 230 billion dollars, and this is the first time the firm has served as sub-adviser for a tokenized investment product. Access is limited to qualifying accredited investors and qualified purchasers. Securitize shares rose about 9 percent as of the close of trading on August 18, giving it a market capitalization of about 961 million dollars.

Ondo Finance remains the largest issuer of tokenized stocks, accounting for approximately $845.6 million in distributed value, or roughly 45% of the total market. The total distributed value of tokenized stocks has reached $1.86 billion, up 15.72% over the past 30 days, with monthly active addresses climbing to 260,779 and the number of holders nearly doubling to 766,340. Ondo is followed by xStocks with $515.3 million and Securitize with $236.8 million. The market has grown more than fivefold over the past year, from $329 million to about $1.7 billion at the end of June, according to an a16z crypto report. Ondo recently received FINRA authorization through its SEC-registered broker-dealer subsidiary, Oasis Pro Markets, to offer tokenized corporate equities and funds to a broader range of U.S. financial institutions and retail investors.

Securitize Capital, a subsidiary of tokenized asset infrastructure provider Securitize, has registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as an investment adviser. Previously operating as an exempt reporting adviser, the registration now subjects it to additional disclosure and compliance requirements under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, while enabling deeper collaboration with asset managers and institutional investors to support on-chain investment strategies. Through its U.S. affiliates, Securitize already operates an alternative trading system via an SEC-registered broker-dealer and provides transfer agent services. The addition of investment adviser registration expands its regulated business foundation in on-chain capital markets. The company already partners with asset managers such as BlackRock, Apollo, KKR, and VanEck. For BlackRock's tokenized fund BUIDL, it serves as the tokenization platform and transfer agent, and it is collaborating with the New York Stock Exchange on infrastructure development for tokenized securities markets.

Uniswap Labs has introduced a new trading standard called Permissioned Pools on version 4 of the decentralized exchange Uniswap, designed for regulated assets. This mechanism enables trading of assets that require restricted investor access, such as tokenized funds and securities, by embedding eligibility verification directly into the pool itself. Launch partners include Superstate, Securitize, and Dowgo. Permissioned Pools leverage the hooks extension mechanism of v4 to check an issuer-managed allowlist with every swap, ensuring that only approved wallets can trade or provide liquidity. Verification is performed at the protocol level rather than on the front end. This announcement further advances the trend of on-chain trading infrastructure for regulated assets, following developments such as BlackRock's BUIDL fund integration with UniswapX. As Japan also considers DeFi legal frameworks as a policy issue, this could serve as a reference example of using decentralized infrastructure while issuers retain control.

Cantor Fitzgerald and Securitize Corp. have agreed to create a pathway for public companies to conduct initial public offerings and follow-on offerings onchain. The partnership combines Cantor's equity capital markets and trading capabilities with Securitize's regulated infrastructure for issuing, distributing and servicing tokenized securities. Securitize Markets, the firm's SEC-registered broker-dealer affiliate, will participate in the offering and settlement process. Public companies using the structure would still operate inside the established framework for traditional offerings, with blockchain infrastructure supporting digital ownership records, greater transparency and access to investors already active across onchain markets. Securitize oversees more than $5 billion in tokenized assets and works with asset managers including BlackRock, Apollo, KKR, Hamilton Lane and VanEck.

Tokenized equities could grow into a $3 trillion market if just 2% of US equities move on-chain, according to Securitize CEO Carlos Domingo. Speaking on Yahoo Finance’s The Daily Wolf, Domingo noted that the tokenization of real-world assets has surged from low single-digit billions to around $30 billion since early 2024, outpacing crypto and stablecoin growth. Securitize, which recently went public with $400 million on its balance sheet, tokenized its own stock on Avalanche and Solana, moving roughly $200 million in tokenized equity and enabling on-chain trading with Jump Crypto as market maker. Domingo highlighted that the firm’s approach removes shares from the DTCC, allowing instant settlement, extended hours, and future DeFi functionality, unlike DTCC’s tokenized entitlements or offshore synthetics. He also pointed to upcoming tokenization of IPOs, ETFs, and mortgages, and said the CLARITY Act would benefit the industry but is not essential for Securitize’s compliant operations.

Jacob Funds added Securitize Corp. to its Internet Fund, Discovery Fund, and Jacob Small Cap Growth Fund in the second quarter of 2026. The firm highlighted Securitize as the premier publicly investable tokenization company, noting its partnerships with Apollo, BlackRock, and KKR. Securitize grew its tokenized assets from $1 billion to $3.4 billion in 2025, with over $3 billion in net inflows, the largest in the tokenization industry. It is the only company licensed to operate regulated digital-securities infrastructure in both the U.S. and EU. The tokenized real-world asset market expanded from roughly $23 billion at the end of 2025 to $31 billion by March 2026, and Jacob Funds believes Securitize is positioned at the center of that growth.

Securitize CEO Carlos Domingo said tokenization is an upgrade of the rails that capital markets run on, replacing decades-old technology with blockchain to enable 24/7 trading, instant settlement, and fractional ownership. He noted that current market infrastructure fails to meet growing retail adoption and offshore demand for US equities, citing the inability to trade Apple shares from Japan on a US holiday or after 4:30 p.m. market close. Domingo spoke as Securitize launched its IPO via SPAC on the New York Stock Exchange, with the company's own shares also issued on-chain and tradable from day one in both traditional and Web3 markets.

Shares in BlackRock-backed tokenization firm Securitize began trading on the New York Stock Exchange Thursday, rising more than 8% to $12.75 in their debut. The listing follows a merger with a Cantor Fitzgerald-backed blank check firm, eight years after Securitize was founded. Simultaneously, tokenized versions of $266 million worth of SECZ were issued on the Avalanche and Solana blockchains, which the firm says makes it the largest tokenized stock in the world. CEO Carlos Domingo stated that the tokenized shares are issuer-sponsored and represent the same common stock trading on the NYSE, made available through regulated infrastructure. Securitize had more than $4 billion in assets under management as of June.

Securitize will begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange on July 2, 2026 under ticker symbol SECZ, following shareholder approval of its merger with Cantor Equity Partners II. The deal raises approximately $400 million at a $1.25 billion pre-money valuation, making Securitize the first pure-play tokenization infrastructure company to list on a major U.S. exchange. Fewer than 30% of Cantor Equity Partners II Class A shareholders chose to redeem their shares, leaving Securitize to retain over 71% of the SPAC trust, a low redemption rate by recent SPAC norms. The $400 million total raise incorporates a $225 million PIPE that was oversubscribed. Securitize's flagship client relationship is with BlackRock, whose BUIDL tokenized money market fund, administered on Securitize's platform, has grown to over $3 billion in total value locked.