Regulation · Regulation · Thursday, 17 September 2026 · 2 min read · Token+ Intel desk
SEC issues an innovation exemption for tokenised stock trading
The SEC has issued an exemption to facilitate trading of tokenised NMS stock and requested comment; Reuters reports it runs for five years.
Key points
- The SEC issued an innovation exemption for trading tokenised NMS stock.
- It requested public comment.
- Reuters reports a five-year term.
- SEC Chair Atkins described it as a bridge toward durable rulemaking.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission announced an innovation exemption to facilitate trading of tokenised NMS stock, alongside a request for comment. Reuters reported the exemption runs for five years.
In an accompanying statement, the SEC chair called it a bridge toward durable rulemaking. Law firm commentary, including from Foley & Lardner, has started to set out what it means for public companies and market structure.
The Democratize view
A time-limited exemption is a sensible way to learn, but issuers and venues will want to see the permanent rule before investing heavily.
Opinion of the Democratize editorial team.
What to watch: Comment letters from exchanges and broker-dealers.
Sources
- SEC · SEC Issues Innovation Exemption to Facilitate the Trading of Tokenized NMS Stock and Request for Comment · Thursday, 17 September 2026 Regulator
- Reuters · US securities regulator rolls out five-year exemption for tokenized stock trading · Thursday, 17 September 2026 Financial publication
- Foley & Lardner · The SEC's Innovation Exemption · Monday, 19 October 2026 Research
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Claudia Harken
Head of Marketing and Communications
Claudia Harken leads marketing and communications at Democratize.