Solana briefly processed more trades than the New York Stock Exchange in September, according to Citrini Research. The firm noted that the blockchain handled a volume of activity that surpassed the NYSE during the trading day, a milestone attributed to the tokenization of real-world assets and the integration of AI agents into financial infrastructure.
Citrini Research attributes the shift to a change in use cases for cryptocurrency. The firm stated that the asset class spent 15 years developing programmable financial infrastructure without a clear purpose until AI agents and tokenized assets provided a specific utility. The research suggests that as AI agents manage money and make decisions, financial assets must become machine-readable and transferable, similar to consumer data.
The report points to March as an inflection point, noting that Hyperliquid became one of the few liquid venues where crude oil could be priced in real time following the escalation of the Iran conflict over a weekend.
Two factors are identified as accelerating the move toward tokenized stock trading: the rise of composable tokenized equities and regulatory momentum. Citrini highlighted Robinhood's Chain as an example of a platform where tokenized shares move freely between apps and blockchain rails. The firm also noted that after the CLARITY Act failed in the Senate, the SEC issued an innovation exemption opening a path for tokenized stock trading, while Coinbase’s proposed US stock perpetual futures product remains with “approval pending” status at the CFTC.
Separately, Securitize announced the launch of a new product called Securitize Stocks, bringing 12 major US stocks onto the Solana blockchain. The initial lineup includes Apple, Nvidia, Tesla, and Microsoft. Trading on the platform is set to begin immediately, with Jump Trading providing liquidity and settlements occurring in USDC. Each token is backed one-for-one by an actual share and is designed to preserve shareholder benefits, including dividends and voting rights.
Securitize plans to expand the availability of these stocks to NYSE’s planned 24/7 digital trading platform and the upcoming OKX-ICE Tokenized Securities Venue, a joint venture between NYSE parent Intercontinental Exchange and OKX.
