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SEC Chair Paul Atkins Says Distributed Ledger Technology Could Enable T+0 Settlement

SEC Chair Paul Atkins Says Distributed Ledger Technology Could Enable T+0 Settlement

At a March 12 SEC Investor Advisory Committee meeting, Hester Peirce said staff are developing a limited innovation exemption for some tokenized securities after the committee opposed blanket relief and urged phased reform.

Fact Check
The core of the claim—that SEC Chair Paul Atkins supports DLT for settlement efficiency and is pursuing an 'innovation exemption'—is directly confirmed by the official SEC speech transcript from March 12, 2026. The specific mention of 'T+0' is the standard industry and regulatory term for the 'settlement efficiency' Atkins explicitly advocated for in his remarks.
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Summary

The SEC’s approach to tokenized securities has shifted toward narrower relief after staff said they are developing an innovation exemption to permit limited trading of some tokenized securities. At the SEC Investor Advisory Committee meeting on March 12, Commissioner Hester Peirce said the agency is not pursuing comprehensive exemptive relief following the committee’s February 26 letter, which opposed a blanket exemption and instead recommended a phased regulatory approach. The update adds detail to the SEC’s ongoing review of how blockchain-based securities activity could operate within existing federal securities laws while allowing controlled experimentation.

Terms & Concepts
  • Tokenized securities: Traditional securities represented on a blockchain, while remaining subject to existing securities laws and regulatory oversight.
  • T+0 settlement: A settlement model where a trade is finalized on the same day it is executed, shortening the transfer process.