The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has registered Paxos Securities Settlement Company as a clearing agency under Section 17A, making it the only blockchain-native firm authorized to operate as a central securities depository in the United States. The approval follows seven years of regulatory engagement, including a 2019 no-action letter and a live equities settlement pilot launched in 2020. The decision matters because it brings blockchain infrastructure into a core part of U.S. securities markets. Next, Paxos will operate under a temporary registration while regulators develop a broader settlement framework.








