Nasdaq to Digitize US Stocks in Major Push for 24/7 Trading
New York, Monday, 9 March 2026.
Nasdaq is digitizing traditional US stocks to enable 24/7 global trading. This landmark partnership with crypto leaders bridges Wall Street with a projected $18 trillion digital economy.
Bridging the Gap Between Wall Street and Blockchain
On Monday, 9 March 2026, Nasdaq Inc. (NDAQ) unveiled a comprehensive “stock tokenization design” aimed at giving publicly listed companies unprecedented control over the digital representations of their shares [1][2]. This framework ensures that tokenized equities retain the exact legal rights, CUSIP codes, shareholder privileges, and order book positioning as their traditional counterparts [1]. By integrating corporate actions, proxy handling, and governance rights directly into the blockchain-based platform, Nasdaq is effectively aligning decentralized asset management with traditional corporate control structures [2].
Global Expansion and Competitive Pressures
Nasdaq’s digital ambitions extend well beyond United States borders. The exchange operator is connecting its European listing venues with Seturion, a pan-European tokenized asset settlement platform developed by the Boerse Stuttgart Group [1][2]. This integration will allow European tokenized securities to be officially traded and settled through the platform, expanding the scope of around-the-clock digital trading and clearing across the continent [1][2].
The Multi-Trillion Dollar Real-World Asset Frontier
The push to tokenize traditional securities represents a massive financial opportunity, commonly referred to as the real-world asset (RWA) narrative [1]. As of 8 March 2026, data from RWA.xyz indicated that the value of distributed on-chain RWA assets sat at approximately $26.5 billion [1]. However, forecasts from Ripple and Boston Consulting Group suggest this sector could explode to over $18 trillion by 2033 [1]. This represents an anticipated market expansion of roughly 67824.528 percent, driven by an expected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 53% from 2025 onward [1].