Chainlink Co-Founder Engages SEC Chair & White House on Tokenized Asset Growth Strategy

• Chainlink’s Sergey Nazarov met White House and SEC leaders, stressing tokenization rules and compliance automation.
• Banks and asset managers are already preparing tokenized assets, waiting on regulatory clarity for wider adoption.

On September 5, Chainlink Co-Founder Sergey Nazarov met with U.S. SEC Chairman Paul Atkins and senior policymakers at the White House. The discussions focused on strategies to expand the U.S. role in tokenized assets through regulation, compliance, and cross-chain technology.

Nazarov emphasized that,

He pointed to the ability of smart contracts to set transparent compliance conditions on-chain, describing this as a shift away from relying on costly private compliance departments. Nazarov explained that conditions such as identity checks or transfer limits can be coded into blockchain transactions, making regulation automatic and public.

SEC Rule Changes Could Unlock Widespread Tokenization

During the CNBC interview following the meeting, Nazarov noted the growing demand for tokenization from leading banks, asset managers, and issuers. He stated that many are already preparing live production tokenization efforts in anticipation of updated SEC rules. He said, 

The SEC has made its intent clear in recent speeches, including remarks by Atkins in May and July, describing tokenization as a process that should be “easy, smooth, and riskless.” Nazarov added that his team continues to meet with SEC staff and expects multiple engagements in the coming weeks to align on updated frameworks.

The conversation also covered private companies issuing tokenized shares. Nazarov described it as “a more innovative approach that seeks to circumvent the current rules.” He explained that until transfer agency rules are updated, large institutions are unlikely to take part due to risk, leaving smaller groups and crypto-native companies at the forefront.

White House Role and Broader Tokenization Push

The White House has been closely engaged since the March Crypto Summit, where Nazarov first met with officials. He pointed to progress through legislation like the Genius Act and bipartisan support for crypto-related policy. He stressed that the White House is now actively supporting the push for tokenization alongside regulators and lawmakers.

Asked about priorities for the administration, Nazarov responded: 

Nazarov estimated that the industry could expand by $10 to $30 trillion through tokenization of equities, commodities, and funds. He argued that cryptocurrencies, NFTs, and meme coins alone cannot define the sector’s future growth. Instead, real-world asset tokenization will play the central role.