SEC innovation exemption lands, tokenized US stocks usher in a five-year golden window

1. Regulatory freeze breaks: the SEC gives tokenized stocks the green light

On September 17, 2026, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission officially rolled out an innovation exemption policy, allowing qualified trading venues to trade tokenized National Market System stocks for which there is licensing on a permitted-chain platform. The exemption is valid for up to five years, until 2031, marking a historic step forward in U.S. securities regulation in the blockchain space.

Notably, the SEC explicitly requires that tokenized stocks must confer full shareholder rights to holders, while excluding synthetic wrappers and special purpose vehicle structures. This means market participants must build a truly compliant underlying asset mapping, not simply package derivatives. The New York Stock Exchange has spent a year testing the use of the Avalanche blockchain for tokenized securities, while Coinbase and Kalshi have also submitted applications for single-stock perpetual futures. The integration of traditional finance and the crypto ecosystem is accelerating.

2. The Fed hikes by 25 basis points; market resilience exceeds expectations

Around the same time as the SEC announced its innovation exemption, the Federal Reserve declared a 25-basis-point rate hike, raising the federal funds rate to a range of 3.75% to 4%. This is the first hike since 2023, yet the market’s reaction surprised many analysts.

After the rate-hike news, Bitcoin not only didn’t fall—it surged from around $75,000 to above $81,000. Spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded net inflows of $433 million in the same period, indicating that institutional demand remains strong. Analysts noted that the market had already fully priced in expectations of the rate hike, while the failure of the CLARITY Act in the Senate sparked more short-term volatility instead. Overall, the total crypto market capitalization grew by $21 billion despite policy fluctuations. Investors generally believe that clarifying the regulatory framework matters more than passing any single bill.

3. Buffett steps down and the Bank of Japan hikes; the global capital landscape is reshaped

Meanwhile, the two hottest topics in the Square community are the Bank of Japan’s rate hike to a 31-year high and Warren Buffett’s stepping down as chairman of Berkshire Hathaway. The BoJ’s decision means the world’s last negative-rate stronghold has officially fallen apart, and rising yields on yen-denominated assets will trigger major adjustments in global capital flows.

Buffett’s stepping down, on the other hand, symbolizes the end of an investment era. This investment legend in his 90s shaped the paradigm of value investing over the past several decades. His departure has led the market to rethink the capital allocation logic of the post-Buffett era. Importantly, in the Square community’s discussion of these two events, bullish sentiment clearly leads the way: the bullish share for the BoJ rate-hike topic is over 30%, and the bullish share for the Buffett stepping-down topic is also close to 30%, reflecting investors’ cautious optimism about the long-term outlook for global capital markets.

4. Tokenized US stock ecosystem accelerates expansion

Driven by the SEC innovation exemption, the tokenized US stock ecosystem is expanding rapidly. Currently, the Binance Web3 platform has launched multiple tokenized US stock offerings, including emerging-market ETFs, Moderna, and Linde—covering targets across multiple industries. Binance Wallet also rolled out a Pre-Access event via PancakeSwap, allowing regular users to get on-chain exposure to early companies before a potential IPO—something still unprecedented globally.

From trading data, activity for these tokens continues to rise. CELR’s daily gain exceeds 70%, ONE is up nearly 56%, and BR is up more than 33%, showing the market’s high level of attention to tokenized assets. CZ has also recently publicly recommended BNB as the best long-term holding, emphasizing three pillars—platform fundamentals, staking yields, and on-chain utility—further strengthening market confidence in the long-term value of core assets.

5. Outlook: deep integration of traditional finance and blockchain is irreversible

Overall, September 2026 is becoming a key turning point for the deep integration of crypto markets and traditional finance. The SEC’s five-year innovation exemption provides a clear compliance path for tokenized stocks. The Fed’s rate-hike decision failed to dampen market enthusiasm and instead validated the resilience of crypto assets. Meanwhile, the reshaping of the global capital landscape brings unprecedented opportunities for blockchain infrastructure. For investors, focusing on regulatory developments, seizing opportunities in tokenized assets, and allocating risk rationally will be the core themes for the next five years.

#BOJRaisesRatesTo31YearHigh #BuffettStepsDownAsBerkshireChairman #Tokenized US stocks