Coinbase Eyes SEC Green Light for Trading of Tokenized Stocks: Reuters

In short

Coinbase, America’s largest crypto trade, mentioned it’s hoping for regulators’ approval to launch tokenized shares.
The SEC again in Might mentioned it was curious about such an thought.
Tokenized shares would imply fairness in an organization might transfer on a blockchain.

America’s largest crypto trade Coinbase hopes to quickly provide buying and selling providers for tokenized equities, in line with a Reuters interview with the agency’s chief authorized officer revealed Tuesday.

Paul Grewal said that it was a “enormous precedence” for Coinbase to safe SEC approval to permit such belongings to commerce. In an X put up afterwards, Grewal mentioned that he was merely echoing a Coinbase place made public this spring.

“We have been saying since earlier this yr that [the SEC] ought to allow markets to unlock tokenized securities,” he wrote.

Thrilling? Sure. Vital? Completely. However breaking information? Not precisely. We have been saying since earlier this yr that @SECGov ought to allow markets to unlock tokenized securities. Tokenized debt, fairness, and funding funds current a possibility for tailor-made regulation for…

— paulgrewal.eth (@iampaulgrewal) June 17, 2025

Decrypt reached out to Coinbase for extra remark, however a spokesperson pointed to Grewal’s X put up as its touch upon the matter.

If authorized, equities corresponding to tech shares could be tokenized and supplied through blockchain networks, doubtlessly resulting in decrease transaction prices and 24-7 buying and selling, Grewal mentioned. A tokenized inventory is a digital asset that represents fairness in an organization.

Decrypt in April reported that SEC regulators at a digital belongings roundtable mentioned that the company could be open to a regulatory sandbox for crypto exchanges to experiment with new choices. This might embrace issues like tokenized shares, Appearing SEC Chair Mark Uyeda mentioned on the time.

Commissioner Hester Peirce, who heads up the SEC’s new crypto activity drive, mentioned that “collaborating companies might see what works and what would not, technically and commercially.”

Simply final week, SEC Chair Paul Atkins affirmed that perspective, noting plans for an “innovation exemption” to let DeFi builders experiment on-chain with new merchandise. The information was effectively obtained by merchants, as Ethereum DeFi tokens broadly rose in worth following the feedback.

The SEC underneath the brand new Trump administration has taken a extra crypto-friendly stance. Beneath Democratic ex-president Joe Biden’s management, the regulator went after high crypto companies with lawsuits for allegedly breaking securities legal guidelines.

However since U.S. President Donald Trump took cost on Jan. 20, the SEC has scrapped plenty of these lawsuits. Trump campaigned on a ticket to assist the digital asset area and obtained monetary backing from business leaders.

Coinbase is not the one American trade planning to supply tokenized shares. Kraken in Might said it will quickly provide over 50 U.S.-listed shares and exchange-traded funds to abroad clients utilizing the Solana blockchain.

Edited by James Rubin