OKX-ICE Co-Chair: Enterprises’ opposition to tokenized stock plans is a "normal reaction" and in line with expectations.

OKX-ICE Joint Venture Co-Chair Andrew Cuomo stated that issuers’ opposition to tokenized stock trading is a “normal reaction,” noting that it is expected for companies to adopt a wait-and-see approach. The growing number of firms refusing to allow their stocks to participate in tokenized transactions is a foreseeable scenario in the process of testing new market structures. Cuomo, who also serves on OKX’s board of directors and is a former New York State Governor, made the remarks during a Tuesday media conference call, after Microsoft, Alphabet, and Goldman Sachs joined the opposition. “This is a very normal reaction. The model is designed to give companies the right to decide for themselves whether to participate, and they can choose to join or opt out,” he said. He added: “We have always anticipated that, as this is a transformative, impactful change, many companies will choose to wait and see how things develop rather than be among the first participants.” A public notice released Monday shows that a total of 16 companies oppose the trading of tokenized versions of their stocks on the OKXICE platform, a planned joint launch by crypto exchange OKX and Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), parent company of the New York Stock Exchange. The seven newly disclosed opposing firms include Microsoft, Alphabet, Goldman Sachs, Qualcomm, Caterpillar, McDonald’s, and Western Digital. Earlier, companies such as Broadcom, Verizon, and UnitedHealth Group had also raised objections.