Binance bStocks Brings Tokenized Equities to 24/7 Trading

Binance said Monday it launched bStocks, a product that lets users trade and hold tokenized U.S. equities in a 1:1 structure. The move puts fractional stock exposure inside the exchange's existing order book, extending its reach beyond crypto-native instruments into traditional equity markets.

The product covers a batch of major companies including Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon, each tokenized as a BEP-20 asset on BNB Smart Chain. Binance said each bStock token represents one share of the underlying equity, with the exchange handling custody and settlement through its own infrastructure. Users can trade the tokens against USDT or BUSD pairs, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The timing follows a broader push by centralized exchanges into tokenized real-world assets. Binance's move mirrors similar offerings from competitors like Bybit and OKX, which have rolled out stock tokens over the past year. What sets bStocks apart is the direct integration into Binance's spot market, meaning the tokens sit alongside crypto pairs in the same liquidity pool and order book.

For traders, the product eliminates the need to hold a brokerage account or trade during U.S. market hours. A user in Asia can buy Apple stock at 3 a.m. local time, settle the trade on-chain, and sell it minutes later. That flexibility comes with trade-offs. The tokens carry counterparty risk tied to Binance's custody and redemption mechanism. If Binance halts withdrawals or faces regulatory action, the token's peg to the underlying stock could break.

Binance said it sources the underlying shares through a licensed broker-dealer and holds them in a segregated account. The company did not name the broker or disclose the jurisdiction where the shares are held. That lack of transparency is a common criticism of centralized tokenized equity products. Unlike a U.S.-listed ETF, where the custodian is named and regulated, bStocks relies on Binance's own disclosures.

The launch comes as regulators in several jurisdictions tighten scrutiny on tokenized securities. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has signaled that tokenized equities may fall under existing securities laws, which could create compliance hurdles for Binance's non-U.S. entity. The exchange said bStocks is not available to users in the United States or other restricted jurisdictions.

For now, the product is live on Binance's global platform. The exchange said it plans to expand the list of available stocks over time, though it did not specify which names or sectors it would add next.