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SEC-Approved Nasdaq to Launch Token-Settled Equity Session December 6

By Drooid · Oct 9, 2026, 3:48 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Nasdaq Launches 23-Hour Session

Nasdaq will launch a 23-hour, five-day equity session on 6 December featuring token-settled trades.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved Nasdaq’s blockchain pilot in March to settle Russell 1000 stocks and ETFs.
CEO Adena Friedman said tokenization could free tens of billions of locked collateral.
About 2% of Nasdaq equity volume trades outside extended hours, according to April data.
Ethereum hosts roughly 45% of $38 billion tokenized real-world assets, though its share is slipping.

Summary

Fidelity Predicts On-Chain

Fidelity’s Matthew Horne said institutional shift to on-chain assets is “no going back” after 18 months.
UBS’s Ka Yan Chan warned billions could move on-chain only when the Fed or DTCC revamp custody.
Both firms said upgraded custody infrastructure is the key hurdle before on-chain adoption could unlock billions to trillions.
RWA.xyz data shows tokenized-asset demand rose 41% in the past 30 days, exceeding 493,000 wallets.

History

Historical Context

In 2009 Satoshi mined the genesis block, creating a decentralized ledger. Regulatory focus grew, prompting the SEC to approve regulated bitcoin funds in 2014 and later authorize the first US spot bitcoin ETFs in 2024. Building on that foundation, Nasdaq now runs a 23-hour token-settled equity session and Fidelity expands on-chain services, while custodians such as UBS and DTCC wrestle with on-chain infrastructure.

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Nasdaq Launches 23-Hour Session

Nasdaq will launch a 23-hour, five-day equity session on 6 December featuring token-settled trades.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved Nasdaq’s blockchain pilot in March to settle Russell 1000 stocks and ETFs.
CEO Adena Friedman said tokenization could free tens of billions of locked collateral.
About 2% of Nasdaq equity volume trades outside extended hours, according to April data.
Ethereum hosts roughly 45% of $38 billion tokenized real-world assets, though its share is slipping.

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