SEC Prepares "Innovation Exemption" to Let Crypto Exchanges Trade Tokenized U.S. Stocks

On June 17, 2026, the SEC began moving toward rules that would let crypto-native exchanges list and trade blockchain tokens linked to U.S. stocks without requiring a full broker-dealer license. The plan would also allow third-party tokenization without issuer consent, even though many products offer price exposure only rather than voting rights or dividends. Critics cited risks ranging from price discrepancies across venues to custodian concentration if a few firms hold the underlying shares.