SEC’s Next Crypto Roundtable Will Discuss Real-World Asset Tokenization

The SEC’s Crypto Task Force announced the agenda for its next Roundtable discussion, which will focus on tokenization. The agenda will span two halves, presumably focusing on RWAs and generalized financial instruments.

The Commission announced that this discussion would focus on tokenization in March, but the full agenda provides more complete information. It includes a full list of participants, including many prominent firms.

The SEC Talks Tokenization

Since coming under new leadership this year, the Commission has been hosting Roundtable Discussions on topics in the crypto industry. According to a press release, the SEC’s next talk will concern tokenization, featuring representatives from firms like BlackRock, Nasdaq, Fidelity, Robinhood, Securitize, and more.

“Tokenization is a technological development that could substantially change many aspects of our financial markets. I look forward to hearing ideas from our panelists on how the SEC should approach this area,” Hester “Crypto Mom” Peirce, one of the SEC’s Commissioners, claimed.

Over the last few weeks, the SEC has shown an interest in tokenization. In late April, it planned a regulatory sandbox concerning real estate tokenization with counterparts in El Salvador and private firms. The results of this planning session seemed inconclusive; none of its non-SEC participants are scheduled to appear at the Roundtable. Still, it shows interest.

The discussion is split between two main panels: “Evolution of Finance: Capital Markets 2.0” and “The Future of Tokenization.” Both feature participation from some of the major firms involved, with the US ETF issuers primarily speaking on the first panel.

This could potentially suggest a focus on tokenization as a financial instrument for institutional investors. The latter panel involves RWA advocates like Securitize and Robinhood, possibly indicating that it focuses on RWAs. Still, that’s only speculation.

Other than these general outlines, the SEC hasn’t specified which areas of tokenization are its highest priorities. The Commission first planned this discussion in late March, but today’s agenda is the first major update since then.

A recent study from Binance Research claimed that RWA tokens are the most recession-proof sector of the crypto industry. Its market also grew despite broader market downturns, further signifying its long-term potential.

This data might give the SEC extra incentive to study tokenization. Hopefully, its conclusions will contribute to productive regulatory policy.