Securitize taps former SEC markets head amid $3B RWA boom

Securitize appointed former SEC Trading and Markets Director Brett Redfearn as its new President and Board member at a time when real-world asset tokenization and institutional demand for blockchain-based financial infrastructure are expanding.

Previously, Redfear led the SEC’s Division of Trading and Markets. He will now oversee strategy, regulatory engagement, and market structure development at the digital asset firm.

His appointment comes at a pivotal moment for the tokenization sector, which has crossed the $3 billion mark in on-chain assets, driven by growing institutional participation and regulatory clarity.

Former SEC market chief joins Securitize to help grow safe and regulated token systems

Securitize wants Redfearn’s regulatory experience to shape both short-term action and future planning, so the company named him to both an executive and a board role. Redfearn will help the team expand its platform for digital securities that follow financial laws.

Redfearn’s past experience made him a better fit for the role, as he helped guide the laws and systems that keep financial markets stable while serving as the Director of the Division of Trading and Markets at the U.S. SEC from 2017 to 2020.

He also worked on modernizing the National Market System and on reforms that improved transparency and enabled markets to respond more effectively during periods of high volatility.

Additionally, Redfearn spent 14 years at JPMorgan, achieving the role of Global Head of Market Structure, and focused on how trading systems connect with exchanges and how large financial institutions move money and assets through global markets.

He later joined Coinbase as Head of Capital Markets, connecting traditional financial ideas with blockchain-based systems and expanding access for large institutions seeking to enter crypto markets safely.

Redfearn also founded Panorama Financial Markets Advisory and served on the boards of several major brands, including BATS Global Markets, BATS Exchange, the Chicago Stock Exchange, and BIDS Trading.

His appointment shows just how much Securitize wants to be seen as a regulated infrastructure provider linked to traditional finance systems.

CEO Carlos Domingo even said Redfearn had already built a close working relationship with Securitize while serving on his advisory board for several years.

RWA tokenization grows past $3B as Securitize builds global systems

The real-world asset (RWA) tokenization market is now worth over $3B in value recorded on blockchain systems, and reports suggest the real scale is much larger than the onchain figure. 

Asset managers like BlackRock, KKR, Apollo, VanEck, and Hamilton Lane have also adopted tokenization, proving it is no longer limited to crypto-native firms. 

These institutions will use tokenization to accelerate trade settlement, reduce operational costs, improve transparency in ownership and transactions, and enable 24-hour market access without waiting for traditional market opening hours.

When it comes to infrastructure, Securitize now manages more than $4B in tokenized assets and supports issuance, trading, and administration of digital securities across different regions with its regulated systems.

However, the company still operates through SEC-registered entities in the United States, including a broker-dealer, transfer agent, and alternative trading system operator. Additionally, Securitize operates in Europe under the EU DLT Pilot Regime, which governs licensed investment firms.

The company’s structure has made it one of the few firms that can operate regulated digital currencies across both the U.S. and Europe simultaneously, with a fully compliant tokenized stock trading platform

The financial technology company also wants to venture into tokenized equities and a fully compliant tokenized stock trading platform that uses digital tokens to represent real company shares with real rights, such as dividends and voting rights. 

Similarly, Securitize aims to make financial processes faster and more efficient by using blockchain as the official record of ownership, reducing the need for traditional middlemen during trading and settlement.

Since institutional investors and regulators often require clear laws before trusting or adopting new financial systems at scale, Securitize’s compliance-first strategy gives it an edge over many offshore or less-regulated tokenized platforms.

The smartest crypto minds already read our newsletter. Want in? Join them.