Tokenized Securities are Still Securities: SEC Commissioner Hester Pierce Says

Hester M. Peirce, a commissioner of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), has issued a brief statement on the tokenization of real-world assets (RWA), especially by traditional financial institutions. In a statement on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, Hester highlighted that blockchain tokenization is enchanting but not magical.

As such, Hester notified the traditional financial institutions seeking to tokenize real-world assets to consider the set existing securities regulations. Moreover, she implied that blockchain technology does not have a magical ability to transform the underlying asset from adhering to the securities regulations.

“Tokenized securities are still securities. Accordingly, market participants must consider—and adhere to—the federal securities laws when transacting in these instruments,” Hester noted.

Market Reactions from Hester’s Statement of Tokenized Securities 

According to James Seyffart, an ETF and crypto reporter at Bloomberg, Hester’s statement has a warning to all companies and protocols seeking to build bridges for tokenized securities. However, Seyffart highlighted that the SEC has goodwill after offering a sit-down with all parties seeking to offer tokenized securities.

“Market participants, as they structure their tokenization product offerings, should consider meeting with the Commission and its staff. When unique aspects of a technology warrant changes to existing rules or where regulatory requirements are outdated or unnecessary, we stand ready to work with market participants to craft appropriate exemptions and modernize rules,” Hester concluded

According to Matt Hougan, the CIO at Bitwise, the blockchain tokenization will likely grow to $13 trillion if only 5 percent of the $117 trillion stock market and $140 trillion bond market shifts to the web3 space.