Ethereum rises 6% amid SEC moves toward tokenized stocks

Ethereum climbed roughly 5.8% to 6.5% on September 18, 2026, pushing past the $2,580 mark after the SEC unveiled a regulatory framework that could funnel trillions of dollars worth of stock trading onto public blockchains. The token moved from a starting range of $2,445 to $2,451 up to between $2,580 and $2,603, its sharpest single-day gain in weeks. The catalyst: the SEC’s freshly minted “Innovation Exemption,” a five-year pilot program announced on September 17 that formally permits tokenized trading of National Market System stocks through what the agency calls Tokenized Securities Venues, or TSVs. What the SEC actually greenlit The exemption allows on-chain trading of tokenized equities using permissioned automated market makers and liquidity pools on public blockchains. Every token must represent an actual underlying share, preserving full shareholder rights like voting and dividend collection. Synthetic assets are explicitly prohibited. Issuers wanting to tokenize their stock must notify the SEC, which then has a 30-day objection window. There are also volume and symbol caps, plus mandatory sanctions compliance. The timing is notable. The exemption landed just two days after ...