DTCC and the Stellar Development Foundation have announced plans to connect DTC’s tokenization service with the Stellar public blockchain, setting up a regulated pathway for DTC-custodied assets to be represented and used on public blockchain infrastructure. The initiative follows a December 2025 SEC No-Action Letter authorizing DTC to implement and operate a tokenization service for real-world assets held in its custody.
Today, @The_DTCC and SDF are announcing plans to enable the tokenization of DTC-custodied assets on Stellar.
The connection supports the rapid conversion of traditional assets into tokenized form, and the full asset lifecycle, including corporate actions and reporting. pic.twitter.com/jSBbtA6Dzx
— Stellar (@StellarOrg) May 27, 2026
DTCC Sets Stellar Link for Tokenized DTC Assets
The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation, the post-trade market infrastructure provider for global financial services, and the Stellar Development Foundation said the planned integration will enable tokenization of assets custodied by The Depository Trust Company on Stellar. The network is described by the companies as a configurable, open-source public blockchain used across securities, payments and remittance applications.
The move advances DTCC’s standards-driven, multi-chain strategy for digital assets. DTC-tokenized assets are intended to retain the same investor protections, entitlements and safeguards as securities held through traditional DTC processes, while allowing market participants to use those assets in a digital ecosystem. The companies said the service is designed to support faster settlement, greater asset mobility, extended trading hours, and lower cost and risk.
“This collaboration represents another step forward in DTCC’s efforts to build an open, interoperable digital infrastructure that bridges traditional and digital markets,” said Frank La Salla, president and chief executive officer of DTCC. “We are committed to expanding opportunities for market participants to utilize tokenized assets to access deeper liquidity, achieve greater efficiency and increase transparency on a public blockchain, while retaining the same investor protections and safeguards participants are used to today for traditionally held assets at DTC. Tokenization can enable new levels of transaction and capital efficiency, observability and collateral mobility as well as support extended trading hours.”
SEC-Cleared Service Targets First Half of 2027
DTCC and SDF expect DTC-tokenized assets to become available on the Stellar network in the first half of 2027. The integration is expected to support rapid conversion of traditional assets into tokenized form and cover the full asset lifecycle, including corporate actions and reporting.
“DTCC is the backbone of global capital markets, and integrating their tokenization service with Stellar connects public blockchain networks to regulated market infrastructure,” said Denelle Dixon, CEO and executive director of the Stellar Development Foundation. “Stellar’s proven compliance-minded architecture, open infrastructure and risk management capabilities are aligned with market demands and expectations. Our network was built for this moment – we have always believed that blockchain’s utility for finance is to be the rail that institutional-grade markets can depend on.”
Before launch, DTCC and SDF will evaluate tokenization use cases for eligible asset classes, including highly liquid assets such as Russell 1000 constituents, ETFs tracking major indices, and U.S. Treasury bills, bonds and notes, subject to DTC’s regulatory obligations. Nadine Chakar, DTCC managing director and global head of DTCC Digital Assets, said, “We’re developing and expanding the Web3 ecosystem by creating a truly interoperable tokenization service to connect traditional market liquidity with digital rails. Stellar’s proven track record with institutional assets onchain is an important factor in our evaluation of blockchain networks. Its emphasis on compliance, transaction throughput and low-cost operations meets our rigorous standards and will help ensure we’re ready for growth as usage of blockchain networks for real-world assets transactions increases.”
The planned Stellar connection places public blockchain infrastructure inside a regulated post-trade framework rather than outside it. For institutional crypto and capital markets participants, the key development is not only the tokenization of DTC-custodied assets, but the effort to make those assets interoperable across multiple networks while preserving the controls and protections associated with traditional market infrastructure.
AI Transparency Note: This article was prepared with the assistance of an AI system based on the sources listed and was reviewed, edited, and approved by a human editor before publication. All quotes, data points, and factual claims are intended to be grounded in the cited source material; however, errors cannot be ruled out entirely.