Securitize and Computershare Target S&P 500 With New Tokenized Share Model
Securitize and Computershare are teaming up to let U.S.-listed companies issue real shares in tokenized form, not wrappers or derivatives, as Wall Street’s tokenization race moves closer to the shareholder register.
Quick Insights
- Securitize and Computershare have agreed to help U.S.-listed companies issue tokenized shares.
- The structure uses Issuer-Sponsored Tokens, or ISTs, alongside traditional shares and DRS holdings.
- Securitize said the tokens are actual shares in token form, not derivatives or wrappers.
- Computershare will act as transfer agent for its clients’ tokenized holdings and related corporate actions.
The deal gives issuers a path to add Issuer-Sponsored Tokens, or ISTs, to their existing capital structure without replacing ordinary shares. According to the companies’ announcement, ISTs can sit alongside shares held through the Direct Registration System, giving shareholders another way to hold securities.
The important part is what the companies say these tokens are not. Securitize said ISTs are not derivatives or wrappers sitting on top of stock, but direct equity ownership represented in token form. That distinction matters because much of the tokenized stock market has so far relied on synthetic or wrapped exposure rather than issuer-backed ownership.
Securitize and Computershare Push Tokenized Shares Into the Register
Computershare’s role makes this more than another tokenized asset launch. Transfer agents sit behind the public market, maintaining shareholder records and handling corporate actions such as dividends, splits and proxy voting.
Under the agreement, Computershare will act as transfer agent for its clients’ IST holdings. That means tokenized shareholders would remain connected to issuer communications and corporate action flows rather than being pushed into a parallel product with weaker links to the company.
"ISTs do not rely on derivative tokens that sit on top of underlying shares, nor do they alter any underlying equity."
Securitize CEO Carlos Domingo said the partnership creates a pathway for listed U.S. companies to bring shares onchain while preserving direct equity ownership. He also said Securitize had become Computershare’s tokenization partner for stocks in the U.S. and abroad.
Issuer-Sponsored Tokens Are Built to Avoid the Wrapper Problem
The IST model is designed to keep issuers at the center of their capital structure. A company can keep traditional shares and DRS holdings in place while adding tokenized holdings for investors who want to hold securities through digital wallets.
| Feature | What changes | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Shareholding | Investors can hold shares in tokenized form alongside traditional holdings. | The token is meant to represent the actual share, not a synthetic claim. |
| Issuer control | Companies keep their existing capital structure and shareholder relationships. | Tokenization moves into market infrastructure rather than around it. |
| Transfer agent | Computershare handles tokenized holdings for participating issuers. | Corporate actions can stay tied to the official shareholder record. |
Tokenized equities have often been pitched as a trading feature, with 24/7 access and fractional ownership taking most of the attention. This deal is about ownership records, which is a harder and more important layer to change.
Nakamoto Daily’s DTCC tokenisation guide explains why that distinction matters. Once the recordkeeping layer starts moving onchain, tokenization becomes less of a trading gimmick and more of a market structure shift.
Computershare Gives the Stock Tokenization Push Scale
Computershare is one of the largest transfer agents in the world, with more than 25,000 private and public company clients. The company says it operates across major financial markets and has more than 11,000 employees globally.
Domingo said Computershare manages shares for close to 60% of the S&P 500, including companies such as Apple, Tesla, Microsoft, Nvidia, Disney and Coinbase. That does not mean those companies are suddenly tokenizing their stock, but it shows why this agreement has more weight than a narrow crypto-native pilot.
Securitize already sits near the center of the real-world asset market. The company said it has more than $4 billion in tokenized assets under management as of April 2026, with partners including Apollo, BlackRock, BNY, Hamilton Lane, KKR and VanEck.
Tokenized Stocks Move Closer to Wall Street Infrastructure
The Securitize and Computershare agreement lands as major financial firms test how far tokenized markets can move into regulated securities. Securitize recently worked with Currenc Group to tokenize its shares, while the New York Stock Exchange has also agreed to work with Securitize on tokenized securities infrastructure.
Nakamoto Daily recently covered Securitize’s tokenized asset expansion onto TRON, which pushed tokenized funds and securities toward one of crypto’s largest transaction networks. The Computershare deal is different. It aims at the shareholder register itself.
For issuers, the promise is a cleaner route to tokenized equity without breaking existing market rules. For investors, the pitch is direct share ownership in token form, with digital wallet custody and the possibility of future onchain utility as market infrastructure develops.
The next question is likely to be a question of adoption. The partnership gives listed companies a route to issue tokenized shares, but each issuer will still need a reason to use it. If they do, tokenized stocks may move from side-market experiments into the machinery that records who owns public companies.
