Ondo Finance to SEC: Hold off on Nasdaq’s tokenized securities plan

In a letter to the US regulator, Ondo argued that Nasdaq’s plan relies on undisclosed settlement details that could favor big players.

Ondo Finance urged the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to delay or reject Nasdaq’s proposal to trade tokenized securities, saying it lacks transparency and could give established market players an unfair edge.

In a Wednesday letter to the regulator, Ondo — a blockchain company that issues tokenized versions of traditional assets — said regulators and investors can’t fairly evaluate Nasdaq’s proposal without public details on how the Depository Trust Company (DTC) will handle blockchain settlements. DTC serves as the main depository for US securities and facilitates their post-trade settlement.

While acknowledging support of Nasdaq’s move toward tokenization, Ondo warned that “Nasdaq’s reference to non-public information implies differential access that deprives other firms of a fair opportunity to comment.”

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