Dinari joins crypto lobby as U.S. tokenized stock race heats up

Tokenized securities provider Dinari has joined the Blockchain Association as U.S. policymakers consider rules for moving stocks and other traditional assets onto blockchain networks.

The Washington-based industry group announced Dinari’s membership on July 21. It said the company will contribute to policy discussions around tokenization, digital asset market structure and regulation. Dinari confirmed the move in a separate announcement, saying it plans to bring its experience with regulated tokenized securities into discussions with policymakers.

Dinari operates dShares, a platform for tokenized U.S. stocks and exchange-traded funds. The company says each dShare links to an underlying security held with licensed custodians and provides rights including cash dividends, corporate actions and redemption based on market prices. Dinari also operates as an SEC-registered transfer agent, while its broker-dealer subsidiary is registered with the SEC and belongs to FINRA and SIPC.

Dinari takes its tokenization model to Washington

The Blockchain Association said Dinari’s membership will add practical experience from a company already building regulated tokenized securities infrastructure. The group plans to work with the company as lawmakers and regulators consider how existing securities rules should apply when financial assets move onto blockchain networks.

Blockchain Association CEO Summer Mersinger said the group welcomed Dinari’s experience in tokenized securities and blockchain-based capital markets. She said the organizations could work together on “thoughtful regulatory frameworks” for tokenized securities in the U.S.

Dinari CEO Gabriel Otte also argued that tokenization should work alongside existing financial rules rather than remove the protections already built into public markets. He said “long-term adoption depends on preserving the trust, transparency, and investor protections” found in traditional securities markets.

The membership comes as more financial and crypto companies develop different models for tokenized stocks. Base founder Jesse Pollak said Coinbase and Base were close to supporting 1:1-backed equities. He contrasted that planned structure with stock-linked products that give users price exposure without direct ownership of the underlying shares.

Dinari Financial Network targets institutional market structure

Dinari is also building the Dinari Financial Network, which connects broker-dealers, exchanges, custodians, issuers, transfer agents and other regulated firms through a shared framework for tokenized securities.

The network covers several stages of a security’s lifecycle, including issuance, trading, custody, clearing, settlement, dividends and corporate actions. Dinari says participating institutions can keep their existing customer relationships and regulatory duties while using shared infrastructure for tokenized products.

The framework also plans to support 24/7 trading, fractional order books and stablecoin-based settlement. Dinari says its aim is to extend existing capital market structures onto blockchain rails rather than replace regulated institutions with fully decentralized systems.

The company has already worked with several established market participants. Its earlier Dinari Financial Network launch named Gemini, BitGo and VanEck among initial validators. The system was designed to coordinate liquidity and settlement for tokenized securities across several blockchain networks.

Meanwhile, Dinari also partnered with S&P Dow Jones Indices and Chainlink to bring the S&P Digital Markets 50 Index onchain. The benchmark combines 35 blockchain-related U.S. equities with 15 digital assets, while Dinari provides the tokenization infrastructure.

Tokenized stocks become a growing policy issue

Dinari’s move into Washington policy discussions comes as tokenized equities attract more competition from exchanges, brokers and blockchain platforms.

Robinhood launched its own blockchain mainnet on July 1 with tokenized stock products at the center of its strategy. As crypto.news explained, Robinhood Chain supports round-the-clock trading of tokenized equities and allows eligible assets to interact with onchain financial applications.

However, companies are using different legal structures for these products. Robinhood describes its Classic Stock Tokens as derivatives under European rules, while companies such as Dinari promote products backed directly by underlying securities. Coinbase and Base are also preparing their own 1:1-backed model, according to recent comments reported by crypto.news.

Dinari has previously supplied tokenized stocks to other platforms. As crypto.news reported, Gemini expanded its European tokenized stock offering through a partnership with Dinari, giving eligible users access to tokenized versions of U.S. equities.

The company’s new Blockchain Association membership gives it a direct channel into industry policy discussions as U.S. regulators consider how tokenized securities should fit within existing market rules.

Dinari says its position centers on keeping regulated market participants and investor protections in place while changing the technology used for trading and settlement. Its work with the association will now bring that approach into broader discussions around market structure as more financial firms prepare tokenized equity products.