Crypto.com Launches 1,500 Tokenized Stocks & ETFs — Full Breakdown of the August 2026 Announcement

Crypto.com's Tokenized Stocks: What Was Announced?

On Wednesday, August 12, 2026, Crypto.com launched Tokenized Stocks — a new suite of tokenized derivatives offering 24/7 price exposure to roughly 1,500 U.S. stocks and ETFs directly through the Crypto.com App . The launch allows eligible users to gain price exposure to major U.S. equities and ETFs outside traditional market hours, starting from as little as US$1 .

"Money never sleeps. Market access shouldn't either," said Kris Marszalek, Co-Founder and CEO of Crypto.com .

How the Products Work

Here is a detailed breakdown of the key mechanics of Crypto.com's new tokenized derivatives:

Issuer

The tokens are issued by Foris Capital CY Limited, a Cyprus entity that Crypto.com acquired in May 2025 as part of securing a MiFID license in Europe .

Custody of Underlying Securities

The actual securities that back the tokenized derivatives are held by Alpaca, a U.S. regulated self-clearing broker-dealer. According to reports, Alpaca powers more than 90% of the tokenized U.S. stock and ETF market .

Eligibility & Geographic Restrictions

The product is available to users in the European Economic Area (EEA) and other approved jurisdictions globally. It is not available to users in the United States . Trading remains subject to platform availability, market conditions, and geographic restrictions .

Pricing & Minimum Investment

Users can begin with fractional investing from as little as US$1. For a limited introductory period, Crypto.com is offering zero-commission trading, though foreign exchange (FX) charges or spreads may still apply .

Shareholder Rights — What You Get and What You Don't

This is a critical distinction for investors. The tokens are derivative financial instruments that track the price performance of the underlying asset. Users do not acquire legal or beneficial ownership of the underlying securities and receive no voting rights or other shareholder rights. However, they may be eligible for dividend-equivalent adjustments .

Trading Hours

A major selling point is 24/7 access, including outside traditional market hours (e.g., after-hours or pre-market), subject to platform availability and market conditions .

Coverage — Which Assets Are Included?

The initial offering covers roughly 1,500 underlying assets. Featured names include:

• Apple (AAPL)
• Nvidia (NVDA)
• Tesla (TSLA)
• SPDR Gold Shares (GLD)
• iShares Silver Trust (SLV)

The Broader Market: A $2.49 Billion Sector Growing 600% Year-Over-Year

Crypto.com's launch comes at a moment of explosive growth for tokenized equities. According to data from RWA.xyz, the total market for tokenized stocks has reached approximately $2.49 billion, up roughly 600% over the past year . Looking further ahead, Citi has estimated the tokenized securities market could grow to $5.5 trillion by 2030, including $2.6 trillion in tokenized equities .

Two Competing Models: Synthetic vs. Issuer-Sponsored

Crypto.com's product follows a synthetic/derivative model — users get price exposure but no ownership. By contrast, the issuer-sponsored model (exemplified by Backed Finance's xStocks) puts actual common shares on-chain and preserves shareholder rights. This structural difference has drawn increasing regulatory attention .

Competitor Moves — The Race to Tokenize Equities

Crypto.com is entering a field crowded by aggressive competitors:

Kraken (xStocks)

Kraken launched its xStocks in June 2025 through a partnership with Backed Finance, offering tokens backed 1:1 by physical shares on Solana and Ethereum . By March 2026, Kraken had reached 100 tokenized U.S. stocks and ETFs, surpassing $25 billion in transaction volume since launch, and targeting 500+ listings by the end of 2026 . In July 2026, Kraken's parent company Payward teamed with fintech GTN to expand xStocks to global markets, starting with Hong Kong-listed equities .

Bybit

Bybit has been rapidly expanding its tokenized equity ecosystem. On July 31, 2026, it enabled six U.S. tokenized stocks — Nvidia, Apple, Tesla, Alphabet, Robinhood, and Circle — as collateral for margin trading and lending . On August 7, 2026, Bybit added four new xStocks Dual Asset pairs (METAx, TSLAx, HOODx, CRCLx), expanding to 10 tokenized stock pairs .

Robinhood

Robinhood launched tokenized stock derivatives in the EU/EEA on June 30, 2025, offering tokenized exposure to more than 200 U.S. stocks and ETFs across 30 countries .

Other Players

Other major exchanges have entered the race. Bitget partnered with Ondo Finance to offer 100+ tokenized U.S. stocks . Binance launched direct access to more than 7,000 U.S. stocks and ETFs alongside bStocks, a tokenized product . The competitive landscape also includes Gemini, eToro, Gate.io, and the EU-regulated venue 360X backed by Deutsche Börse .

Institutional Infrastructure Signals Mainstream Adoption

The tokenization push is not just from exchanges. Major market infrastructure providers are also making moves:

• The DTCC has begun live testing of tokenized securities infrastructure.
• Nasdaq and the New York Stock Exchange have unveiled tokenization initiatives .
• Coinbase has been reported to be piloting tokenized equity trading through its Advanced platform .

Summary

Crypto.com's August 12, 2026, launch of 1,500 tokenized stocks and ETFs represents a significant expansion of its product suite, offering EEA-based users 24/7, low-cost exposure to U.S. equities without traditional market hours or high minimum investments. The move places Crypto.com in direct competition with Kraken, Bybit, Robinhood, and others in a market that has grown 600% in the last year and could reach trillions by 2030. However, users should be aware of the key trade-off: these products offer price exposure but no ownership rights, unlike issuer-backed models from competitors.