Majority of wealth managers expect SEC registration to boost tokenised asset eligibility

Almost two-thirds (63 per cent) of institutional investors and wealth managers believe tokenised assets would become more eligible for investment if they were SEC registered, according to research from ST0x.

Almost half (48 per cent) believe tokenised assets would be mandate eligible if the associated trading venue was licensed.

The research found firms would value a single approved instrument which is distributable across multiple EEA jurisdictions.

Nearly two out of five (38 per cent) said this would remove a significant compliance burden, while more than half (55 per cent) said it would make a moderate difference.

When asked what would be most likely to increase their firm’s traded volume in tokenised securities over the next year, 29 per cent of professional investors said automatic and predictable corporate action handling across all event types.

More than a quarter (27 per cent) said named, regulated custody of the underlying with independent verification.

Just under a fifth (19 per cent) of study participants said a legally enforceable claim on the underlying security would most increase trading volumes in tokenised assets, while 17 per cent said approval by an EEA or equivalent regulator.

Six per cent cited deeper secondary markets and tighter spreads while 3 per cent said lower transaction costs.

The biggest potential regulatory changes in the next 24 months that would concern tokenised asset investors highlighted by the survey is divergence between US and EU treatment creating fragmented liquidity cited by 39 per cent.

Just over a quarter (27 per cent) said instruments being reclassified after allocation has been made, while 25 per cent pointed to enforcement action against a major venue or issuer.

Only 7 per cent said the continued absence of any clear framework would be the biggest concern.

ST0x Group director, S01 Issuer GmbH and director, Nick Magliocchetti, said: “Regulatory certainty and institutional-grade infrastructure will be critical to unlocking the next phase of tokenised securities adoption.

"Investors want confidence that a tokenised security represents a legally enforceable claim on the underlying asset, that it can be held with a recognised custodian and traded on a regulated venue, and that corporate actions can be handled reliably.

"As these foundations develop, tokenised securities can move from being treated as an emerging digital asset category towards becoming a familiar and mandate-eligible way of accessing traditional markets.”

Tokenised ETFs were identified as offering the greatest near-term utility to one-third of survey respondents versus 28 per cent who said tokenised single name equities are an easier entry point.

Almost two-fifths (39 per cent) see both as offering equal near-term utility.

ST0x Group commissioned independent research agency PureProfile to interview 200 professional investors in August 2026. They included fund managers, pension funds, insurance asset managers, family offices, wealth managers, hedge funds or proprietary trading firms, bank or broker dealers, custodians, administrators and market infrastructure providers.

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