Binance has launched a new product that allows users outside the United States to invest directly in more than 7,000 stocks and ETFs using crypto assets. On Monday, the exchange began offering non-U.S. customers access to more than 7,000 U.S.-listed stocks and exchange-traded funds. The platform offers zero commissions and fractional share purchases starting from a minimum of $5.
According to Binance’s official announcement, users will be able to fund their positions with USDC, USDT, BNB and several other digital assets. Stock purchases will be executed by brokerage firm Nest Trading, while custody, dividend payments and corporate actions will be handled by New York-based Alpaca.
Co-CEO Richard Teng told Fortune that U.S. equities account for more than half of the global market, yet access to these markets remains costly and complex for investors in many countries. Binance is positioning this product as a direct response to that gap.
bStocks: Stocks Are Coming On-Chain
On the same day, Binance also announced a new feature called bStocks. The tool is not live yet, but it will allow users to convert their stock holdings into tokenized assets on BNB Chain.
The exchange said bStocks would provide near-instant settlement, compared with traditional stock settlement cycles that can take up to one day. In addition, the tokens created through the feature will be usable in DeFi applications such as lending and liquidity provision. Binance said the feature will become available in the coming weeks.
Tokenized Stocks Continue to Grow
The move comes in the middle of rapid growth in the tokenized equities market. According to market data, daily trading volume in tokenized stocks and ETFs hit a record $3.57 billion on May 19, with Binance and Hyperliquid standing out in that volume.
A similar momentum is visible across the broader sector. Kraken and Robinhood launched their own tokenized stock products over the past year. What sets Binance’s version apart is that users will be able to initiate the tokenization process themselves.
Still, Binance’s path in this area has not been entirely smooth. In 2021, the exchange had to shut down its previous tokenized stock program after regulatory pressure from Germany, Hong Kong and several other markets. Its return came in February, when Binance was reported to have listed ten tokenized U.S. stocks and ETFs through a partnership with Ondo Finance.
Meanwhile, the stock trading launch directly aligns with the “super app” vision outlined by CEO Richard Teng in a wide-ranging interview with The Block in April. In that interview, Teng spoke about Binance’s goal of moving beyond crypto trading and becoming a global financial platform.
