The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), part of Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), has announced the development of a new platform for trading and on-chain settlement of tokenized securities, marking a major step toward modernizing U.S. market infrastructure.

The platform, which is subject to regulatory approval, will enable 24/7 operations, instant settlement, orders denominated in dollar amounts, and stablecoin-based funding.

The platform will combine the NYSE’s Pillar matching engine—a high-performance order-matching system—with blockchain-based post-trade systems. It will be designed to support multiple blockchains for settlement and custody, ensuring flexibility and interoperability. This hybrid architecture allows for secure, scalable, and compliant on-chain operations.

The platform will support continuous trading of U.S. listed equities and ETFs, extending beyond traditional market hours. Using blockchain-based post-trade systems, transactions will settle near-instantly, reducing counterparty risk and capital requirements.

Investors can place orders in familiar dollar amounts, improving accessibility and usability. The system will allow funding via stablecoins, enabling seamless capital movement across time zones and outside traditional banking hours. The platform will support fractional ownership, increasing access for retail investors.

The platform will launch only after receiving approval from U.S. regulators. All qualified broker-dealers will have equal access to the new venue, aligning with established market structure principles.

Tokenized shares will be fungible with traditionally issued securities, ensuring that token holders retain the same rights, including dividends and voting rights. The platform will also support tokens issued directly as digital securities, enabling new forms of capital formation.

This initiative is part of ICE’s broader digital strategy, which includes:

- Preparing its six global clearinghouses (including the world’s largest energy and credit default swap clearinghouses) for 24/7 operations.

- Partnering with major banks like BNY Mellon (NYSE: BK) and Citi (NYSE: C) to support tokenized deposits across clearinghouses, improving liquidity and margin efficiency.

- Exploring the use of tokenized collateral and integrating digital assets into clearing and settlement processes.

Lynn Martin, President of NYSE Group, emphasized that the exchange is leading the industry toward fully on-chain solutions, combining trust, regulatory rigor, and modern technology.

Michael Blaugrund, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at ICE, described the move as a pivotal step in operating on-chain market infrastructure for trading, settlement, custody, and capital formation.

The announcement comes amid growing demand for nonstop trading, with Nasdaq pursuing 23-hour daily trading and major brokerages like Robinhood and Charles Schwab extending trading hours. The NYSE’s platform aims to meet this demand while maintaining the integrity, transparency, and regulatory oversight expected of a major U.S. exchange.

This development positions the NYSE at the forefront of the convergence between traditional finance and blockchain technology, potentially reshaping how securities are traded, settled, and owned in the digital era.

President Donald Trump announced the formation of the Gaza Board of Peace, Friday, as part of Phase Two of his 20-point peace plan to end the war in Gaza. The board, chaired by Trump himself, will oversee the transitional governance, reconstruction, and stabilization of the Gaza Strip following a ceasefire agreement reached in October 2025.

"It is my Great Honor to announce that THE BOARD OF PEACE has been formed. The Members of the Board will be announced shortly, but I can say with certainty that it is the Greatest and Most Prestigious Board ever assembled at any time, any place. Thank you for your attention to this matter! DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The founding executive board includes U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, CEO of Apollo Global Management Marc Rowan, President of the World Bank Group Ajay Banga, and Deputy National Security Adviser Robert Gabriel.

The White House confirmed that Ali Abdel Hamid Shaath, a Palestinian engineer and former minister of the Palestinian Authority, will lead the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), the technocratic administration responsible for day-to-day governance, public service restoration, and institutional rebuilding in Gaza.

Witkoff on Wednesday, announced the launch of Phase Two of Trump’s peace plan, emphasizing that it centers on Hamas’s complete demilitarization, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from much of Gaza, and the establishment of the NCAG. “The United States expects Hamas to comply fully with its obligations, including the immediate return of the final deceased hostage. Failure to do so will bring serious consequences,” he said in a post on X.

A separate 11-member Gaza Executive Board was also announced to support governance and coordination. Its members include:

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Ali Al-Thawadi Qatari diplomat, Head of Egypt’s General Intelligence Service Hassan Rashad, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al-Hashimy, Israeli-Cypriot billionaire and real estate tycoon Yakir Gabay, Dutch diplomat and former UN envoy Sigrid Kaag, Bulgarian diplomat and former UN Middle East envoy (appointed High Representative for Gaza) Nickolay Mladenov.

Major General Jasper Jeffers was appointed to lead the International Stabilization Force (ISF), tasked with security operations, demilitarization, and the safe delivery of humanitarian aid and reconstruction materials. Aryeh Lightstone and Josh Gruenbaum were named senior advisers to manage daily strategy and operations.

The plan began in October 2025 with a ceasefire and hostage exchange. The first phase is largely complete, except for the return of one deceased hostage.

Hamas has not disarmed and continues to control much of Gaza, raising doubts about its commitment. Former Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid called the board a “diplomatic failure,” criticizing the inclusion of Turkey and Qatar.

Argentina’s President Javier Milei and Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney accepted invitations to join the board. Turkey and Egypt are examining their roles, while Qatar has been instrumental in past negotiations.

A draft charter reportedly requires a contribution of $1B for any country want to serve on the Board of Peace as permanent members. "This simply offers permanent membership to partner countries who demonstrate deep commitment to peace, security, and prosperity," of Gaza, a White House account @RapidResponse clarified Saturday.

The Gaza Board of Peace is intended to be a long-term framework, with Trump stating it may expand to other conflict zones. The White House emphasized that the U.S. is working in partnership with Israel, Arab nations, and the international community to achieve lasting peace.

However in statement Saturday, Netanyahu’s Office said: “The announcement of the composition of the board to manage Gaza, under the Board of Peace, was not coordinated with Israel and is against its policies. The prime minister instructed the foreign minister to talk to the Secretary of State about the matter."

SpaceX Falcon 9 launched the NROL-105 mission at 0439 UTC on January 17), from **Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, carrying a classified payload for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).

The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off on a southeast trajectory, with its first stage (B1100) returning safely to Landing Zone 4(LZ-4) at Vandenberg about 7.5 minutes after liftoff, marking the second flight for that booster according to a SpaceX mission description. The launch webcast was ended shortly after landing, a standard practice for classified NRO missions, and no details on the satellite count, orbital parameters, or deployment timeline were disclosed.

NROL-105 marks SpaceX’s first national security launch of 2026 and the 12th overall mission in the NRO’s “proliferated architecture” program—a strategic shift toward deploying hundreds of small, low-cost reconnaissance satellites instead of a few large, expensive ones. This architecture enhances revisit rates, coverage, and resilience, enabling faster intelligence delivery under dynamic global conditions.

"Having hundreds of small satellites on orbit is invaluable to the NRO's mission," NRO Director Chris Scolese said in the NROL-105 press kit, which you can find here.

"They will provide greater revisit rates, increased coverage, more timely delivery of information — and ultimately help us deliver more of what our customers need even faster," he added.

The satellites were developed by SpaceX in partnership with Northrop Grumman, continuing a long-standing collaboration that began with the first proliferated architecture mission, NROL-146, in May 2024.

Saturday's launch underscores SpaceX’s expanding role in national security space operations, complementing its commercial Starlink launches. NROL-105 was SpaceX's seventh mission of 2026. Four of those launches have been devoted to building out the Starlink broadband megaconstellation.

The NROL-105 launch is part of a broader U.S. effort to modernize space-based surveillance amid growing strategic competition, particularly with China’s plans for a 200,000-satellite mega-constellation.