ICE and OKX Form Joint Venture to Tokenize NYSE Stocks

Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) owns the New York Stock Exchange, while OKX is a major cryptocurrency exchange. The partnership combines ICE’s market infrastructure and regulatory expertise with OKX’s blockchain technology. It aims to bring tokenized U.S. equities and cryptocurrency derivatives to a broader range of investors, accelerating the convergence of traditional finance and digital assets.

As of July 19, 2026, ICE had announced a strategic investment in OKX at a $25 billion valuation and secured a board seat. The amount invested was not disclosed. The companies also established a joint venture led by Andrew Cuomo, with plans to offer tokenized stocks and cryptocurrency futures to OKX’s roughly 120 million users. The news briefly sent OKB up 50% to above $120.

Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the parent of the New York Stock Exchange, is a leading global operator of energy derivatives markets and price benchmarks. Brent and WTI are central to international crude oil pricing. ICE invested in OKX on March 5, 2026, in a deal whose terms were not disclosed but that valued OKX at $25 billion, laying the groundwork to connect traditional regulated markets with crypto trading infrastructure.

OKX and ICE announced the joint product on May 22, 2026, and formally launched perpetual oil futures priced against ICE-licensed Brent and WTI benchmarks on July 2. The contracts have no expiry date and support round-the-clock trading. OKX has more than 120 million users worldwide. The product is available in Europe through X-Perps and in compliant markets across the UAE, Asia, Latin America, the Commonwealth of Independent States and Turkey.

Securities tokenization records rights attached to assets such as stocks and exchange-traded funds on a blockchain while preserving dividend and corporate-governance rights. Intercontinental Exchange, the parent of the New York Stock Exchange, plans to connect its existing Pillar matching engine to onchain post-trade settlement, allowing trades and settlement to occur simultaneously. The model could reduce counterparty risk and improve collateral and cross-time-zone funding efficiency, testing whether traditional market infrastructure can be upgraded within existing regulatory frameworks.

ICE announced the new platform on January 19, 2026, with plans for round-the-clock trading in U.S. stocks and ETFs throughout the year, fractional shares, orders placed by dollar amount, stablecoin funding and real-time settlement across multiple blockchains. On March 24, the NYSE also signed a memorandum of understanding with Securitize, which manages more than $4 billion in assets, designating it as the first qualified digital transfer agent responsible for minting native tokenized securities. The platform remains subject to regulatory approval.