Wall Street goes on-chain: DTCC gets SEC nod to tokenize $99T market

The foundation of U.S. securities trading is officially preparing to go digital.

On the 11th of December, the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) made an important announcement.

DTCC, which processes the majority of U.S. securities transactions, revealed that its subsidiary, the Depository Trust Company (DTC), had secured a critical No‑Action Letter (NAL) from the SEC.

This development marks a significant regulatory milestone for the organization and its operations.

Why was it important?

That said, the SEC’s approval allows DTCC to bring blockchain features, such as 24/7 trading and programmable assets, into its $99 trillion market.

This ensures digital assets maintain established legal rights and investor protections.

All in all, it is the strongest step so far toward Wall Street adopting distributed ledger technology.

Additionally, the NAL lets DTC offer this tokenization service on pre-approved blockchains for three years, but with clear limits to keep the rollout cautious.

Investors are guaranteed that the digital asset will carry the same rights, protections, and ownership claims as the traditional version.

In this process, DTC will also maintain the same high standards of safety and resiliency.

Notably, the first phase focuses only on highly liquid, blue-chip assets like Russell 1000 stocks, major-index ETFs, and U.S. Treasury bills, bonds, and notes.

This ensures the earliest tokenized assets come from the most trusted and stable markets.

Execs weigh in…

Expressing the same, Frank La Salla, President & CEO, DTCC, noted, 

“We welcome this opportunity to further enable and innovate for the industry, our participants and their clients.”

Echoing similar sentiments, Brian Steele, Managing Director, President of Clearing & Securities Services at DTCC, added, 

 “In partnership with our clients and the broader market, we will tokenize securities with uncompromising security, sound legal footing and seamless interoperability, all backed by the resilience that has anchored traditional markets for decades.”

DTCC leverages ComposerX

In support of this strategic move, DTCC will use its proprietary ComposerX platform to power the new tokenization service.

This technology will support their goal of giving DTC participants a more resilient, inclusive, cost-effective, and efficient financial system.

Importantly, DTCC aims to create a single pool of liquidity that connects traditional finance and DeFi. This unified structure is intended to reduce the fragmentation and inefficiencies that currently exist between the two systems.

For those unaware, this momentous step by DTCC is the culmination of nearly a decade of institutional exploration into DLT.

The goal has been to harness blockchain’s core benefits while preserving the bedrock protections and accountability of the DTC.

By authorizing a limited production environment across L1 and L2 providers for three years, the SEC is enabling a controlled integration.

What’s more?

Finally, the DTCC’s entry is not an isolated event but accelerates a massive paradigm shift.

The global financial system is now definitively moving toward real-world asset (RWA) tokenization, a sector projected to swell into a $13–$30 trillion opportunity by 2030.

This acceleration is perhaps best exemplified by the explosion of tokenized gold.

Fuelled by a 50% price surge in 2025 and growing geopolitical instability, gold’s $29 trillion market value has intensified institutional interest.

Final Thoughts

• The No-Action Letter finally provides regulatory clarity, allowing trillions in traditional assets to move on-chain without risking legal rights or investor protections.
• It also aligns U.S. finance with the global shift toward real-world asset tokenization, a market expected to reach $30 trillion by 2030.