After a four-year timeout forced by regulatory watchdogs, Binance is dusting off its shelved tokenized stock trading service. The crypto giant first rolled out tokenized equities in April 2021, starting with Tesla and later adding big names like Apple and Microsoft. NYSE and Nasdaq are also seeking regulatory approval for tokenized stock offerings. That experiment didn’t last long. By July, regulators in the UK and Germany were asking uncomfortable questions about securities law compliance. Binance backed down. End of story. Or so it seemed.
Fast forward to today, and suddenly tokenized stocks are back on the menu. What changed? For starters, the adults showed up. Institutional adoption has exploded since 2021, with traditional financial players actually getting their hands dirty with blockchain technology. The tokens offer investors fractional ownership of expensive stocks, making premium equities accessible to a wider audience. Tokenized assets could hit $400 billion by 2026. That’s real money, folks.
The crypto kids’ table is now hosting Wall Street execs with blockchain-powered appetites—and they’re hungry.
The regulatory picture looks different too. It’s still a maze, but at least there are some signposts now. Binance has been busy filing for licenses, including a MiCA application in Greece before the EU’s June 30 deadline. Smart move. They’ll likely roll out these stock tokens country by country, wherever regulators give the nod.
Meanwhile, competitors haven’t been sitting around waiting. OKX is eyeing similar products. Ondo Finance already offers 250+ tokenized stocks and ETFs. xStocks gives on-chain exposure to major equities. The race is on, and Binance noticed it was falling behind.
The tech has matured considerably since 2021. Binance enabled on-chain stock trading via BSC and Solana in November 2025, promising instant settlement—a serious upgrade from the multi-day settlement limbo in traditional markets. Each token is backed by actual stocks. No funny business.
