Digital asset company Securitize has launched blockchain-based trading of tokenized shares in major listed companies, bringing stocks like Apple, Nvidia and Microsoft onto the Solana blockchain, the company announced on Thursday.
Eligible investors in the United States, the European Union and other permitted jurisdictions can now trade tokenized versions of 12 stocks, including Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, Alphabet, Tesla, Meta and Amazon, through Securitize's regulated broker-dealer platform, according to the company's announcement. The tokens are backed by the underlying shares and are structured to preserve the rights and economic benefits of owning the actual stock.
Round-the-clock trading ambitions
Securitize says the tokenized stocks are also expected to trade on the New York Stock Exchange's forthcoming round-the-clock tokenized securities venue, as well as a planned trading venue being developed by crypto exchange OKX together with Intercontinental Exchange. To begin with, the tokens will trade during extended trading hours, with 24/7 availability planned for a later stage.
Why it matters
Tokenizing securities — converting shares into blockchain tokens — has long been pitched by the crypto industry as a way to let markets run day and night with instant settlement, deeper liquidity and lower transaction costs. Until recently, however, tokenized stocks have been a niche product mostly restricted to investors outside the United States. That is now changing, with traditional financial heavyweights, crypto startups and regulators all pushing to bring tokenization onshore in the US.
Securitize itself is a publicly traded company, listed on the NYSE under the ticker SECZ, according to Reuters. One word of caution stands: many tokenized stock products sold overseas are marketed like real shares but rarely carry the same investor rights, disclosures and protections as traditional equities — making the direct-ownership structure Securitize is promising a key differentiator to watch.
Sources: Reuters — Securitize launches blockchain-based stocks | Wall Street Journal — Securitize Launches Tokenized Stock Trading for U.S. Investors
Eligible investors in the United States, the European Union and other permitted jurisdictions can now trade tokenized versions of 12 stocks, including Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, Alphabet, Tesla, Meta and Amazon, through Securitize's regulated broker-dealer platform, according to the company's announcement. The tokens are backed by the underlying shares and are structured to preserve the rights and economic benefits of owning the actual stock.
Round-the-clock trading ambitions
Securitize says the tokenized stocks are also expected to trade on the New York Stock Exchange's forthcoming round-the-clock tokenized securities venue, as well as a planned trading venue being developed by crypto exchange OKX together with Intercontinental Exchange. To begin with, the tokens will trade during extended trading hours, with 24/7 availability planned for a later stage.
Why it matters
Tokenizing securities — converting shares into blockchain tokens — has long been pitched by the crypto industry as a way to let markets run day and night with instant settlement, deeper liquidity and lower transaction costs. Until recently, however, tokenized stocks have been a niche product mostly restricted to investors outside the United States. That is now changing, with traditional financial heavyweights, crypto startups and regulators all pushing to bring tokenization onshore in the US.
Securitize itself is a publicly traded company, listed on the NYSE under the ticker SECZ, according to Reuters. One word of caution stands: many tokenized stock products sold overseas are marketed like real shares but rarely carry the same investor rights, disclosures and protections as traditional equities — making the direct-ownership structure Securitize is promising a key differentiator to watch.
Sources: Reuters — Securitize launches blockchain-based stocks | Wall Street Journal — Securitize Launches Tokenized Stock Trading for U.S. Investors
