NYSE Parent ICE Develops On-Chain Settlement Venue for 24/7 Equities Trading

Intercontinental Exchange disclosed a new digital securities platform combining its NYSE Pillar matching engine with on-chain settlement. The design, detailed in a January 19 release, supports multiple blockchains for custody.

According to a press release dated January 19, Intercontinental Exchange has completed the development of a platform to trade and settle tokenized U.S. equities and ETFs. The system requires regulatory approvals before launch.

The venue would operate 24 hours daily and settle transactions instantly using tokenized capital. It would accept orders sized in specific dollar amounts for fractional share trading and permit stablecoin-based funding the Fortune 500 Company said.

“For more than two centuries, the NYSE has transformed the way markets operate,” NYSE Group President Lynn Martin said in the statement. “We are leading the industry toward fully on-chain solutions, grounded in the unmatched protections and high regulatory standards that position us to marry trust with state-of-the-art technology. Harnessing our expertise to reinvent market infrastructure is how we’ll meet and shape the demands of a digital future.”

ICE, which operates six clearing houses globally, is extending this infrastructure to support continuous markets. Its clearinghouses include the world’s largest for energy products and credit default swaps.

The move forms a core part of ICE’s digital asset strategy. The company is separately working with BNY Mellon and Citigroup to facilitate tokenized deposits for clearing members across time zones.

A Broader Push for Extended Hours and On-Chain Settlement

The development follows a period of escalating competition to provide extended trading access through blockchain infrastructure. Campbell Harvey, a professor of finance at Duke University, told Reuters that "tokenization is not a fad." He described the technology as one that solves problems, calling tokenized stocks "the lowest hanging fruit."

Nasdaq Inc. is also seeking regulatory approval to enable trading for 23 hours a day, five days a week, according to a Reuters report from December. Several major brokerages have already extended trading hours for clients.

Robinhood Markets Inc., Charles Schwab Corp., and exchange operator Cboe Global Markets Inc. have all expanded access to U.S. equities in recent years.

Data from RWA.xyz indicates the market for tokenized public stocks has already surpassed $400 million as of January 2026, representing a significant increase from negligible levels in early 2024. This segment is part of a broader $20 billion market for onchain real-world assets (RWAs), which has grown approximately 150% from the $8 billion valuation recorded at the start of the prior year.

Forecasts for the sector’s growth are substantial. McKinsey & Company has projected the total tokenized securities market could reach $10 trillion by 2030. Another projection estimates a value of $9.43 trillion for the tokenized real-world asset market by the same year.

Key drivers include institutional adoption of blockchain for settlement, demand for fractional ownership of high-value assets, and operational cost reduction. The market for tokenized U.S. Treasury securities has been a primary growth segment.

The transition of the NYSE matching engine to support on-chain settlement positions the 234-year-old exchange to capture a share of this volume by integrating stablecoin-based funding and instant capital settlement into its existing clearing infrastructure.

---

This content is for informational purposes only and should not be taken as solicitation, recommendation, endorsement or  investment advice. It is crucial for you to conduct your own research and due diligence to make informed decisions, as any investment will be your sole responsibility. Please review our disclaimer and risk warning.