Plume affiliate lands broker-dealer license to bring real U.S. assets onchain

Kimber Labs, operating under the name Plume, announced a significant regulatory advancement in its mission to bring authentic U.S. assets onto blockchain rails. Its affiliate, Kimber Digital Securities (KDS), obtained registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and membership approval from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (Finra), officially becoming a broker-dealer.

These approvals grant KDS the authority to buy and sell securities for customers, marking a crucial step in bridging traditional finance with blockchain technology. The platform aims to launch in the first half of 2027, offering regulated, yield-bearing products with full legal entitlements to U.S. users.

Direct Market Access

The registration provides KDS customers with direct access to the Depository Trust Company (DTC), which custodies over $100 trillion in assets for U.S. markets. This connection bypasses synthetic 'wrapped tokens' commonly used in crypto and integrates directly with core U.S. financial infrastructure.

The digital tokens represent legal entitlements carrying the same rights as conventional assets, including dividends, voting rights, and direct claims on underlying assets. This effectively pulls legacy U.S. market infrastructure onto a public EVM-compatible blockchain.

Targeting Stablecoin Users

KDS will primarily target users of stablecoins—digital tokens pegged to the U.S. dollar. The platform will enable stablecoin applications to offer customers access to SEC-regulated yield-bearing products, including tokenized shares in funds managed by leading U.S. asset managers, as U.S. stablecoin rules under the GENIUS Act take effect.

DTC entitlements give these tokens what most onchain assets lack: a settled, recognized claim on real U.S. equity, ETF, or bond assets, providing investors with true digital ownership of traditional financial instruments.