Overview
- Bullish, Equiniti, Alpaca, Apex Fintech Solutions and DriveWealth launched the Issuer Sponsored Token Coalition on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026 to build shared standards for tokenized securities.
- The coalition centers on issuer‑sponsored tokenization, a model that ties a blockchain token to a company’s official shareholder register so holders keep legal rights such as voting and dividends.
- Members said they will work on concrete technical workstreams including settlement mechanics, custody rules and ways to move shares between traditional market systems and blockchains.
- The initiative links to Bullish’s planned $4.2 billion purchase of Equiniti, a transfer agent whose issuer relationships and cross‑border reach are expected to support wider market adoption; that deal remains slated to close in January 2027 subject to regulatory approval.
- The group is positioning its work under the SEC’s Sept. 17 Innovation Exemption, a five‑year, limited permission for onchain trading, and the coalition warned broader rollouts will require regulator, exchange and issuer alignment before institutional adoption expands.