SEC announces tokenization roundtable details as Peirce says it could ‘substantially change’ finance

The Securities and Exchange Commission will host a roundtable on May 12 to discuss the growing role of tokenization in financial markets. 

The event, titled “Tokenization — Moving Assets Onchain: Where TradFi and DeFi Meet,” will run from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the agency’s Washington, D.C. headquarters and will also be webcast live, according to a release from the SEC.

Led by Commissioner Hester Peirce, the roundtable will feature panelists from BlackRock, Fidelity, Nasdaq, Robinhood, and others. 

Topics include the evolution of capital markets through tokenized assets and regulatory considerations for their future use.

“Tokenization is a technological development that could substantially change many aspects of our financial markets,” Peirce said in the announcement.

Blockchain meets finance

The agenda includes two sessions: “Capital Markets 2.0,” moderated by Jeff Dinwoodie of Cravath, and “The Future of Tokenization,” led by Tiffany Smith of WilmerHale. 

Legal scholars, crypto firm executives, and asset managers will discuss how blockchain can integrate with traditional finance under current SEC frameworks.

The SEC also announced a date change for its upcoming roundtable on decentralized finance. The “DeFi and the American Spirit” discussion, originally set for June 6, will now take place on June 9. Prior registrations remain valid.

The roundtables come amid increased engagement between regulators and the crypto industry. 

In a separate meeting, tokenization platform Ondo Finance presented its proposal to the SEC’s Crypto Asset Working Group, outlining a regulatory framework for tokenized U.S. securities and requesting relief mechanisms to support innovation.