The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) today announced that its subsidiary, the National Securities Clearing Corporation (NSCC), has extended its clearing hours to 24×5 availability, from Sundays at 8:00 PM ET to Fridays at 8:00 PM ET, supporting overnight trading activity from Alternative Trading Systems (ATS) and exchanges.

The move to 24×5 trading reflects growing global demand for increased access to U.S. markets as investors seek greater flexibility to trade outside traditional hours. By supporting 24×5 trading activity, NSCC is helping to strengthen the safety, soundness and efficiency of the U.S. equities marketplace while supporting greater global participation.

This milestone represents a major step forward in the evolution of the U.S. equities market, enabling NSCC to apply its central counterparty guarantee immediately to transactions executed across extended trading hours and multiple time zones.

“Today marks a significant milestone in the evolution of the U.S. equities market,” said Brian Steele, Managing Director and President of Clearing & Securities Services at DTCC. “By increasing clearing hours to operate on a near-continuous basis, we are enhancing access to U.S. markets for investors around the world, while maintaining the robust risk management and resiliency capabilities that are critical to market stability.”

Over the past year, DTCC has worked closely with clients, exchanges, alternative trading system providers and other industry partners to support readiness for this transition, including extensive testing, operational planning and client engagement to ensure a smooth and seamless implementation.

DTCC opened its testing environment in January 2026, requiring all consumers of the UTC real-time messages to test the required changes. All firms completed testing successfully prior to the recent go-live.

“DTCC has collaborated closely with our clients and industry stakeholders to prepare for this moment,” Steele added. “With 24×5 trading now in place, we are enabling market participants to operate confidently in a more accessible, globally connected trading environment.”

This development builds on earlier enhancements to NSCC’s operating hours with took place in September 2024 and reflects DTCC’s broader transformation efforts to advance post-trade infrastructure, strengthen resiliency and improve operational efficiency across the financial ecosystem.

ATSs have already been leveraging NSCC’s previously extended operating window, introduced in September 2024 with clearing beginning approximately 2.5 hours earlier than before, while exchanges are expected to follow with longer trading hours in late 2026, alongside planned extensions from Securities Information Processors (SIPs).