Nasdaq President Tal Cohen stated that a more constructive regulatory approach from the SEC is enabling financial firms to innovate with blockchain infrastructure and tokenized asset market systems.

Key Points

• Nasdaq is actively investing in "always on" market infrastructure, tokenization, and artificial intelligence to modernize global trading systems.
• Tal Cohen noted that the SEC’s current proactive stance allows companies to experiment with digital assets without the previous fear of regulatory pushback.
• The exchange is currently testing AI-driven simulations of its matching engine to model market stress scenarios and support potential extended trading hours.
• Nasdaq aims to solve interoperability challenges by converging traditional financial rails with digital asset systems to create a unified trading environment.

Why it Matters

This shift signals a significant transition toward integrating blockchain technology into mainstream financial markets, potentially increasing the speed and efficiency of global asset trading. By bridging legacy systems with digital infrastructure, Nasdaq’s efforts could set a new standard for how securities are issued, moved, and managed in a 24/7 economy.