Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), owner of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), is currently considering Avalanche (AVAX) as the primary blockchain infrastructure for its upcoming 24/7 tokenized-securities trading platform. ICE has not announced a formal partnership or contract, and the process remains at the evaluation stage.
ICE’s planned tokenized-securities platform
ICE, headquartered in Atlanta, is one of the world’s largest exchange operators and operates the NYSE, as well as several other global market infrastructure businesses. In January 2026, ICE unveiled plans for a new trading platform designed to enable around-the-clock, on-chain trading of tokenized stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) with stablecoin-based settlements. The project aims to merge the NYSE’s established Pillar matching engine with blockchain settlement to create a comprehensive and modern market for digital assets.
The envisioned alternative trading system (ATS) seeks to offer continuous trading, on-chain settlement, and stablecoin-powered transactions for tokenized securities. This system intends to connect with established securities infrastructure and satisfy regulatory requirements, promising a new operating model for traditional financial instruments.
Avalanche under review, no deal signed
Michael Blaugrund, an executive at ICE, directly referenced Avalanche’s role in a September 17 evaluation update. Although Avalanche’s official X account quoted Blaugrund, no formal statement has been issued by ICE or NYSE, and Avalanche itself has not announced a signed agreement. Blaugrund stated that Avalanche meets many of ICE’s requirements during their assessments, but clarified that discussions represent an ongoing evaluation process rather than a finalized partnership.
As we’ve evaluated different platforms, Avalanche checks a lot of those boxes for us, so we’re very engaged with the team.
The requirements ICE laid out for its future platform include robust performance, institutional wallet support, interoperability, and integration capabilities with broader securities infrastructure. According to Blaugrund, Avalanche currently satisfies many of these needs, making it a prominent candidate among several blockchains being considered for this project.
Any eventual system will need to connect with transfer agents, broker-dealers, stablecoin issuers, and central clearing and settlement players such as the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC).
Mini dictionary: The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) is a major post-trade financial services company providing clearing, settlement, and information services for financial markets in the United States.
Despite the attention, parties have not formalized any agreement, and ICE has not issued an independent announcement affirming Avalanche as its chosen infrastructure provider for the proposed platform.
Regulatory and project collaborations
In March, NYSE and Securitize signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to make Securitize the first digital transfer agent eligible to serve the upcoming NYSE-linked platform. Securitize specializes in providing end-to-end solutions for tokenized securities and compliance. ICE has continued to work closely with Securitize as a strategic partner in its efforts to bring blockchain-native assets into the mainstream regulatory framework.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) advanced on-chain trading by granting temporary conditional exemptions for tokenized US stocks on September 17, but ICE’s platform still faces its own operational and regulatory thresholds. Final approval and launch will likely depend on addressing these industry and compliance hurdles in partnership with multiple infrastructure service providers.
If ICE ultimately chooses Avalanche, this could become a notable example of institutional adoption of a public blockchain within traditional securities markets, highlighting the technology’s potential to reshape key aspects of financial infrastructure.
