Kraken Meets SEC Crypto Task Force to Push Tokenized Stocks

Kraken is making its case for the future of tokenized assets, directly to the U.S. SEC.

In a closed-door meeting on Monday, Kraken executives and legal counsel sat down with members of the SEC’s Crypto Task Force. The agenda? A regulated system for trading tokenized versions of traditional assets like stocks, bonds, and commodities.

This meeting signals a rare shift. The SEC isn’t just enforcing rules, it’s listening. The conversation shows that tokenized trading is moving from concept to serious regulatory discussion.

What Kraken Wants From The SEC

According to a memo filed after the meeting, Kraken laid out how a tokenized trading system could:

• Reduce costs
• Speed up settlement
• Operate 24/7
• And still stay within existing U.S. market laws

Kraken believes tokenized stocks should go beyond mimicking Wall Street, they should improve on it. That means programmability, global reach, and full-time access, not just a blockchain wrapper for the old financial model.

The exchange launched its tokenized equities product in May, allowing non-U.S. investors to buy U.S. stocks 24/7. This week, it expanded support to the Tron blockchain, making trading faster and cheaper for more users.

Why the Timing Is Critical

The meeting comes as regulators globally push for tighter controls on tokenized stocks. Traditional exchange groups have warned the SEC that these assets lack basic investor protections. And with platforms like Robinhood now offering tokenized U.S. equities in Europe, pressure is building to define U.S. policy fast.

Tokenized assets are still small, just $360M in total market cap. But according to Binance research, if just 1% of global equities get tokenized, the space could balloon past $1.3 trillion.

Kraken’s own survey backs that up:

65% of U.S. investors who own both stocks and crypto think crypto will outperform equities over the next decade.

The Bigger Picture

This isn’t about listing a few stocks on-chain. Kraken’s long game is about embedding tokenization into the core of financial infrastructure and doing it legally.

The SEC’s willingness to hear them out shows regulators may be warming to collaboration, not just enforcement. That’s a shift crypto desperately needs if it wants to play at scale.