National Securities Clearing Corporation ( NSCC ), a subsidiary of the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation ( DTCC ), will increase clearing hours to support extended trading.

The plan is targeted to start in the second quarter of 2026, subject to regulatory review and approval of any necessary rule changes.

Extending clearing hours aims to maximize liquidity and reduce counterparty risk as NSCC will be able to apply its central counterparty guarantee to overnight activity across different time zones for global participants.

The first phase of the new extended trading hours schedule was implemented in September 2024, enabling market centres and trading platforms to submit trades at 1.30am Eastern Time Zone ( ET ), approximately 2.5 hours earlier.

For phase 2, which will take effect in Q2 2026, NSCC will operate 24x5, from Sunday at 8pm ET to Friday at 8pm ET to support overnight trading activity from alternative trading systems ( ATS ) and exchanges.

The industry has indicated a preference to establish standard operating hours across exchange and ATS providers for the US market. As such, NSCC says it will continue to work with the Securities Industy and Financial Markets Association ( Sifma ), regulators and the industry to support the alignment of extended trading hours and any required changes to post-trade processes.

Established in 1976, NSCC provides clearing, settlement, risk management, and central counterparty services.