The push to bring traditional finance onto blockchain rails has taken a major step forward. The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) - the organization that settles nearly all U.S. securities trades - has been granted rare regulatory clearance to begin tokenizing mainstream financial instruments.
The approval positions blockchain technology not as an experiment but as a formal component of the U.S. market structure.
Key Takeaways
DTCC gained rare SEC approval to begin tokenizing major U.S. assets.
Chainlink will support the rollout after powering DTCC’s earlier pilot.
The program starts in 2026 with only highly liquid securities.
Tokenization demand is rising, with on-chain RWA activity above $1.4B.
Rather than waiting for broader industry adoption, DTCC will now begin shaping the rules of tokenized settlement itself. Through a No-Action Letter issued by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, DTCC’s subsidiary, the Depository Trust Company (DTC), has been allowed to run a controlled tokenization program for the next three years.
This gives the clearing giant permission to place certain high-liquidity assets — such as Russell 1000 stocks, major ETFs, and various forms of U.S. Treasury debt — onto blockchain networks that meet regulatory criteria.
The first production phase is scheduled for late 2026, marking one of the earliest large-scale tokenization efforts sanctioned in the United States.
Why Chainlink Is Poised to Benefit
DTCC’s announcement effectively confirms which technology stack will support the rollout: Chainlink. The organization had already conducted an industry pilot — the Smart NAV project — using Chainlink’s cross-chain system to distribute fund valuation data across multiple blockchains. That test run laid the groundwork for the upcoming production environment.
“By using partners like Chainlink, we’re able to move … very quickly & completely update financial markets.”
—Dan Doney, Managing Director, CTO at DTCC pic.twitter.com/d7gJKwhCPY
— Chainlink (@chainlink) November 10, 2025
DTCC executives have repeatedly emphasized that interoperability is critical for modernizing settlement. Chainlink’s infrastructure offers the ability to link different blockchains while maintaining consistent data feeds — a requirement for regulated securities platforms.
CTO Dan Doney previously said that working with Chainlink provides a pragmatic way to update legacy systems without abandoning reliability standards that Wall Street depends on.
A Rare Regulatory Signal
The SEC does not hand out No-Action Letters often, especially in areas involving digital assets. The latest comparable instance appeared only a few months ago, underscoring how unusual it is for crypto-related initiatives to receive this kind of greenlight.
For many analysts, the approval suggests the regulatory environment around tokenization is beginning to shift. Instead of resisting blockchain integrations, regulators may now be prioritizing controlled experimentation inside established market institutions.
