Securitize and Computershare, the world’s largest stock transfer agent, announced on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, a strategic agreement to allow public companies to issue shares directly on blockchain networks. Under the terms of the partnership, companies will be able to integrate tokenized versions of their securities without needing to modify their existing capital structure. This collaboration aims to transform the ownership layer of U.S. equities, allowing digital assets to coexist with traditional records.
The initiative introduces Issuer-Sponsored Tokens (ISTs), which function as native representations of shares rather than derivatives or wrappers. Securitize specified that these assets are designed to operate within current regulatory frameworks in the United States, integrating with the Direct Registration System (DRS). The central objective is for issuers to have the option to offer their shareholders the ability to hold their titles in digital format, facilitating processes that previously relied exclusively on legacy financial infrastructures.
Today we announced an agreement with @computershare, the World's Largest Transfer Agent, that manages close to 60% of the S&P 500, including companies like Apple, Tesla, Microsoft, Nvidia, Disney, Coinbase, etc., to become their tokenization partner to bring stocks on chain…
— Carlos Domingo (@carlosdomingo) April 29, 2026
The significance of this move lies in Computershare’s market position. Carlos Domingo, CEO and founder of Securitize, confirmed through an official post on X that Computershare manages the registries for approximately 60% of the companies in the S&P 500 index. This list includes high-cap corporations such as Apple, Tesla, Microsoft, Nvidia, Disney, and Coinbase. As a transfer agent, Computershare is responsible for maintaining the official record of owners and managing the transfer of titles, giving this integration unprecedented institutional scale in the real-world asset (RWA) sector.
Digitalizing these records using distributed ledger technology theoretically allows for greater transparency and efficiency in managing capitalization tables. By using ISTs, companies can offer their investors functionalities that are not available in the traditional system, such as fractional ownership and near-instant settlement. Furthermore, this infrastructure paves the way for interoperability with decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols, provided that the compliance requirements of each jurisdiction are met.
Towards a continuous trading infrastructure
This agreement occurs in a context where major exchanges and regulators have begun to accept that Wall Street imposes RWA tokenization as an emerging standard for operational efficiency. Recently, firms such as Currenc Group Inc., which is listed on Nasdaq, hired Securitize to tokenize its shares, seeking to enable 24/7 trading. The ability to trade assets outside of traditional banking hours is one of the most cited incentives by institutional actors looking to optimize global liquidity.
Securitize has also been collaborating with the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on the development of a tokenized securities platform that supports 24/7 operations. For its part, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued authorizations for various tokenization initiatives, including supporting Nasdaq for tokenized share trading. Brokerage platforms such as Coinbase, Kraken, and Robinhood have expressed interest in participating in this ecosystem, projecting a market where U.S. stocks are traded with the same agility as crypto assets.
A critical aspect of the implementation announced this April 29, 2026, is that the issued tokens represent the actual share. Since they are not derivatives, the token holder maintains the same legal and economic rights as a traditional shareholder. This distinction is fundamental for mass adoption, as it avoids the legal complications associated with synthetic products. The technical architecture allows traditional shares and tokens to coexist on the same ledger, ensuring that there are no discrepancies in the total supply of the company’s shares.
Analysts from entities such as JPMorgan have noted that the tokenization of funds and assets could reach a valuation of trillions of dollars over the next decade. The transition to this model not only affects individual stocks but has the potential to reshape the exchange-traded funds (ETFs) industry and other collective investment vehicles. Reducing intermediaries in the custody and transfer chain could lead to a decrease in operating costs for issuers in the long term.
The deployment of this technology by Computershare and Securitize will be carried out gradually, allowing interested companies to activate the token option for their shareholders. It is expected that in the coming months, the first technical compliance reports will be published following the issuance of the first ISTs under this new framework agreement.
This article is for informational purposes and does not constitute financial advice.
