Following the landmark approval for FINRA atomic settlement, Securitize has become the first U.S. broker-dealer to manage the full lifecycle of tokenized securities.
The decision was finalized on May 4. This enables the company to play a key role in building fully regulated capital market infrastructure on-chain.
Regulation supports tokenization
Through approval of the "Continuing Membership Application" process, Securitize Markets (the company’s broker-dealer division) is now able to expand into new business lines previously restricted by regulatory frameworks. Most significantly, it can now provide custody services for tokenized securities—a function traditionally separated from trading activities and often causing operational challenges.
This development makes Securitize the first broker-dealer in the United States to cover the entire lifecycle of digital assets—from issuance to custody and trading—within a single licensing framework.
Outcome T+2: The Arrival of Atomic Settlement
One of the most significant impacts of this decision is the introduction of "atomic settlement"—enabling near-instant finality of transactions directly on the blockchain. This allows tokenized shares to be simultaneously exchanged for digital dollars, eliminating delays or counterparty risk in a single transaction.
This model is fundamentally different from traditional clearing systems that rely on T+1 or T+2 cycles. For institutional participants, this shift means lower risk, higher liquidity, and more efficient capital utilization.
The IPO process is transitioning to the blockchain.
With these new powers, Securitize can act as an underwriter or member of an underwriting syndicate in initial public offerings (IPOs) and secondary offerings of tokenized securities, effectively integrating the entire IPO process into the blockchain environment—from the initial issuance to secondary market trading.
This development aligns with recent regulatory and market initiatives. The New York Stock Exchange has been approved to list tokenized instruments, and the partnership between Securitize and Computershare paves the way for publicly traded companies to issue tokenized shares directly.
Accelerate institutional infrastructure development
This transaction is part of a broader trend toward the institutionalization of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. The planned merger between Securitize and Cantor Equity Partners II further underscores its ambition to integrate into traditional markets and ultimately go public.
For investors, this means a shift from experimental projects toward fully regulated, scalable solutions. If this momentum continues, tokenization has the potential to become the foundational layer of future capital markets, offering faster processes, lower costs, and broader access.
From a broader perspective, FINRA’s decision indicates that regulators are beginning to view on-chain infrastructure as an evolution of the existing financial system, rather than a risk. This could become a pivotal moment in the transition of blockchain from a niche technology to mainstream institutional adoption.