Securitize has made history by becoming the first U.S. broker-dealer to receive approval from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) to provide custody for security tokens. This landmark approval, granted through a Continuing Membership Application (CMA), allows Securitize to offer comprehensive custody services for tokenized securities, addressing a critical infrastructure gap in the digital securities market.
The approval, announced via Securitize's official X account, expands the company's broker-dealer scope. Now, Securitize can facilitate on-chain Initial Public Offerings (IPOs), process atomic swaps between security tokens and stablecoins, and manage on-chain clearing and settlement in a single transaction. Additionally, the firm can act as an underwriter or a member of a selling group in public offerings of security tokens, transforming its role from a technology provider to a core financial intermediary.
“Brett Redfearn, President of Securitize, said: 'The underwriting and selling group approvals greatly enhance our capabilities to assist tokenizing securities during the IPO process.' He added, 'The case for new and existing publicly traded companies to tokenize stock continues to get more compelling. We’re excited about what comes next.' Securitize CEO Carlos Domingo emphasized the importance of the custody approval, stating: 'Bringing custody of tokenized securities into the broker-dealer is a foundational unlock. It allows us to facilitate atomic settlement transactions between securities and cash equivalents within our broker-dealer ATS, eliminating the need for fragmented processes and enabling markets to operate with the speed and efficiency of blockchain infrastructure within a regulated environment.'
This development is significant for the tokenized securities industry, as prior to this approval, no U.S. broker-dealer had explicit authorization to hold security tokens for clients. Securitize's approval sets a regulatory precedent and legitimizes the asset class. The firm is also gearing up to go public via a SPAC merger with Cantor Equity Partners II to trade on Nasdaq under the ticker CEPT, with the deal expected to close in the first half of 2026. Last week, Securitize partnered with Computershare, the world’s largest transfer agent, to enable publicly traded companies to issue tokenized versions of shares alongside traditional ones, and is also involved in developing NYSE’s 24/7 tokenized securities platform.
