The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission convened a roundtable on Thursday to examine how traditional markets might adopt around-the-clock trading, a practice already standard in cryptocurrency markets.

Chairman Paul Atkins told attendees that extending trading beyond regular business hours would allow investors to react more swiftly to market developments. "We're moving toward a new day — and night," Atkins said, emphasizing that tradeable events need not be confined to market hours.

The discussion highlighted the agency's recent move to create a five-year exemption for firms seeking to operate tokenized securities platforms. This exemption would shield such firms from certain regulatory burdens while they develop infrastructure for digital asset trading.

Commissioner Hester Peirce acknowledged that expanding trading hours could introduce new challenges, including wider bid-ask spreads, heightened price volatility, and reduced oversight during non-business hours. She noted that crypto markets "don't sleep," suggesting that traditional firms may need to adapt to continuous market activity.

Atkins indicated that preparatory work is already underway, stating that "several needed preparations are already underway or in place" as the SEC advances its regulatory agenda.

The agency also addressed how tokenization might improve market efficiency. Atkins suggested that digital representation of securities could enable real-time inventory management, reduce settlement failures, and curb abusive short-selling practices.

CoinDesk is hosting its annual Policy and Regulation summit on September 22 in Washington, D.C., featuring SEC Crypto Task Force Chief Counsel Taylor Lindman. Registration details are available on the event website.