Coinbase Makes Bold Move: Pushes SEC for Approval to Launch Blockchain-Based Equities

Wall Street meets Web3 as Coinbase takes aim at traditional finance''s iron gates.

The crypto giant isn''t asking permission—it''s forcing the conversation.

SEC''s inbox just got more interesting.

Who needs paper certificates when you can have immutable blockchain ownership? (Okay, maybe the lawyers do.)

This could be the Trojan horse that finally bridges TradFi and crypto—or another regulatory showdown in the making. Place your bets.

Bonus jab: Somewhere in Manhattan, a stockbroker just spilled his $27 artisanal coffee reading this news.

New product, familiar hurdles

Grewal told the newswire the initiative is a “huge priority” for the exchange, which aims to secure a “no action letter” or similar regulatory relief. This would signal the SEC’s intent not to challenge the launch under current securities laws.

Tokenized equities, digital representations of stocks traded on a blockchain, are often touted as a way to cut costs, accelerate settlement times, and enable around-the-clock trading.

Despite the promise, they remain largely experimental in the U.S. due to gaps in regulatory clarity and limited liquidity in secondary markets.

Grewal did not confirm whether Coinbase has formally submitted a request to the SEC or disclosed a timeline for rollout. He noted that greater certainty from regulators could finally unlock broader institutional interest in tokenized assets.

Shifting policy

Coinbase is not alone in chasing tokenized shares. Rival exchange Kraken unveiled its own version, dubbed xStocks, last month, but only for select jurisdictions outside the U.S. due to domestic regulatory roadblocks.

The push comes amid a friendlier environment for crypto firms under President Donald Trump’s administration. This year, the SEC dropped multiple lawsuits against major exchanges, including Coinbase, and assembled a new task force to draft modern digital asset guidelines.

For Coinbase, branching into tokenized equities represents both a fresh source of revenue and a chance to blur the lines between traditional brokerage services and DeFi. Whether U.S. regulators will embrace that vision remains to be seen.