Wall Street’s next big test for tokenization arrives next week as Securitize — the BlackRock-backed startup that digitizes real-world assets — prepares to list on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker SECZ. The move follows the firm’s planned merger with a Cantor Fitzgerald-backed SPAC, Cantor Equity Partners II, and a recent round of investor redemptions that left redemption levels below 30%. That outcome clears the way for Securitize to expect roughly $400 million in proceeds from the SPAC combination and related private financing ahead of closing.
The public debut, eight years after Securitize was founded, is being framed by CEO Carlos Domingo as a pivotal moment for tokenization: a shift from theoretical “market plumbing” to a mainstream infrastructure layer for modern finance. “The idea that major institutions would embrace tokenized securities was still largely theoretical,” Domingo said. “Today, tokenization is moving into the mainstream, and we believe becoming a public company gives us the visibility, credibility, and capital to lead.”
Securitize has already become a go-to provider for big institutional names. Beyond BlackRock — which tapped the firm to launch a tokenized money market fund in 2024 — clients include Apollo, BNY, Hamilton Lane, and KKR. The firm also signed an agreement with the NYSE in March to build systems for blockchain-native securities. As of June, Securitize reported more than $4 billion in assets under management; the largest single product it services is BlackRock’s BUIDL, valued at roughly $2.4 billion by RWA.xyz.
The listing brings broader industry questions into sharper focus. As heavyweight infrastructure players like the DTCC wade into tokenization, Domingo and others have argued for “native” token issuance — meaning securities should be issued directly on-chain rather than wrapped or tokenized after the fact — to realize tokenization’s full scalability and operational benefits.
But the regulatory picture remains unsettled. Bloomberg reported that the SEC recently delayed an “innovation exemption” for tokenized stocks amid concerns that third-party issuers could complicate corporate actions and governance when tokens sit on-chain. At the same time, voices inside and close to U.S. markets have been publicly bullish: SEC chair Paul Atkins has said tokenization has the “potential to transform markets,” echoing comments from BlackRock CEO Larry Fink dating back to the 2022 crypto downturn.
Securitize’s NYSE debut will be watched closely by market participants and regulators alike — a live experiment in whether Wall Street’s interest in tokenization can convert into sustained demand for the companies building that infrastructure.
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