SEC to Host Tokenization Roundtable on May 12 — Here’s Why It Matters
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has just dropped the full agenda for a major roundtable focused entirely on tokenization — the process of putting traditional assets like stocks, bonds, and real estate on a blockchain.
The event, officially titled “Tokenization — Moving Assets Onchain: Where TradFi and DeFi Meet,” is set for May 12 at the SEC’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. It will run from 1:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.ET and be webcast live on the SEC’s website. It’s free, open to the public, and no registration is needed for online viewers.
“Tokenization is a technological development that could substantially change many aspects of our financial markets,” said SEC Commissioner Hester M. Peirce, who is leading the agency’s Crypto Task Force. “I look forward to hearing ideas from our panelists on how the SEC should approach this area.”
And that’s a big deal — because this is the first time the SEC is explicitly focusing a public forum on how to regulate the wave of tokenized assets.
Why It’s a Big Moment
This isn’t just another crypto event. It’s a formal SEC roundtable — with government regulators, Wall Street firms, DeFi builders, and legal experts all sitting together to figure out how tokenization fits into U.S. financial regulation.
In a space that’s been full of lawsuits and mixed signals, this roundtable could be a rare moment of alignment.
If you’ve been following the headlines, you know how rapidly tokenization is catching on. Real-world asset (RWA) protocols on blockchains now hold over $19 billion in assets. BlackRock has launched tokenized money market funds. JPMorgan has processed over $1.5 trillion in tokenized transactions through its Onyx platform. Even Cathie Wood’s Ark Invest is waiting for the green light to bring its funds onchain.
Now, all eyes are on the SEC.
What Will Be Discussed
The roundtable will explore how tokenization can impact traditional capital markets — from settlement and custody to compliance and investor access.
In plain terms: If stocks and bonds move to the blockchain, who’s allowed to issue them? Who’s allowed to trade them? How do you stop fraud or market manipulation when assets move peer-to-peer, 24/7, without middlemen?
These aren’t theoretical questions anymore. They’re real problems being solved by DeFi startups and major financial institutions alike.
The SEC wants to hear how these technologies can be regulated — not banned or ignored.
It’s also notable that this discussion is being led by Commissioner Peirce, one of the most crypto-friendly voices inside the SEC. She’s been openly critical of the agency’s past approach to crypto enforcement and has long advocated for clearer rules of the road.
This gives the roundtable a real chance to lead to policy action — not just another panel event.
The Bigger Picture
This announcement comes as regulators around the world are waking up to tokenization. Hong Kong just greenlit a fully tokenized green bond offering. The EU’s MiCA framework allows for regulated asset tokenization across member states. And in the U.S., the Biden administration has faced increasing pressure to modernize its approach to digital assets.
Just a few weeks ago, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink said, “Every asset can be tokenized,” in his annual investor letter, and warned that the U.S. risks falling behind if it doesn’t figure out digital identity verification and blockchain-based settlement.
This SEC roundtable could be the forum where those ideas start to become policy.
It’s also a response to the industry’s growing frustration. Many builders and investors have called out the SEC for using enforcement rather than guidance to regulate crypto and blockchain innovation. This roundtable — public, open, and inclusive — is a step toward changing that perception.
One More Date to Note
Alongside the tokenization event, the SEC also announced a new date for its upcoming roundtable on decentralized finance (DeFi). Titled “DeFi and the American Spirit,” that event has been moved from June 6 to June 9. All previous registrations remain valid, and new attendees can still sign up.
Final Take
For the crypto world, this is a chance to help shape how tokenized assets are treated in America. And for regulators, it’s an opportunity to understand a $20 billion (and growing) market before it scales into the trillions.
And TokenFi is watching closely. As a platform building simplified tools for tokenizing real-world assets, TokenFi is gearing up to help everyday users — not just institutions — bring assets onchain. With its upcoming RWA Tokenization Module, TokenFi aims to make creating compliant, tokenized asets as easy as setting up an online profile.
