The post Nasdaq Gets SEC Approval for Blockchain Settlement appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.

Blockchain The machinery of American capital markets shifted on March 18, 2026. The SEC formally approved Nasdaq’s proposal to allow securities to be traded and settled in tokenized form – a regulatory green light that opens the door to blockchain settlement inside the world’s most scrutinized national market system. Key Takeaways The SEC approved Nasdaq’s blockchain settlement pilot on March 18, 2026, covering Russell 1000 stocks and select ETFs. Nasdaq and NYSE are pursuing rival tokenization models – one integrated, one built from scratch. Global regulators are converging on “functional regulation”: if it acts like a stock, it’s governed like one. Tokenization could unlock $20-30B in dormant capital and cut banking reconciliation costs by up to $20B annually. The pilot is initially limited to Russell 1000 stocks and select ETFs tracking the S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100. Contained for now, but the math is not: a full expansion would touch assets representing roughly $61.6 trillion in U.S. market capitalization. Tokenized shares share the same CUSIP identifiers, trading symbols, prices, and order books as traditional shares. Brokers tag orders with a “tokenization flag” to indicate settlement preference. If either side can’t support it, the system reverts automatically. Settlement stays at T+1 for now, with real-time atomic settlement as the stated long-term goal. Clearing runs through the Depository Trust Company under a three-year SEC no-action letter issued in December 2025. According to the SEC filling, Nasdaq has partnered with Kraken to distribute tokenized equities globally, and with Boerse Stuttgart’s Seturion for European institutional access. The official launch requires a 30-day notice and is expected before end of Q3 2026. Industry observers have compared the moment to the shift from paper certificates to electronic trading – structural, but dressed up as incremental. How is it Different From NYSE’s Approach? Nasdaq is not moving alone,…

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Filed under: News - @ March 19, 2026 12:30 pm