Tokenized stocks just demolished traditional trading barriers, exploding 380% from $5 billion to over $24 billion by mid-2025. Bybit and Kraken jumped on the bandwagon early, offering 24/7 trading of Apple, Tesla, and Amazon tokens while regular markets sleep. Solana’s blazing-fast blockchain became the playground for these digital stocks, integrating seamlessly into DeFi protocols. Instant settlement, lower fees, zero geographic restrictions—suddenly everyone’s a global trader. The numbers tell a bigger story about what’s coming next.
While traditional stock markets sleep, tokenized stocks are keeping DeFi awake around the clock. The numbers don’t lie. Real-world asset tokenization exploded 380% from $5 billion in 2022 to over $24 billion by mid-2025. That’s not growth—that’s a rocket ship.
Major exchanges like Bybit and Kraken jumped on this train early. Smart move. They’re now offering tokenized stock trading to users worldwide, breaking down geographical barriers that have frustrated investors for decades. No more waiting for Wall Street to wake up. Apple, Tesla, Meta, Amazon—over 60 tokenized stocks are now available 24/7.
Backed Finance’s xStocks product on Bybit claims one-to-one backing with real shares. The settlement is nearly instant. Compare that to traditional markets where trades take days to settle, and the advantage becomes crystal clear. Lower costs, faster execution, no geographic restrictions. Traditional finance is starting to look pretty clunky.
Traditional finance takes days to settle trades while tokenized stocks deliver instant execution with lower costs and zero geographic barriers.
Solana’s blockchain emerged as the preferred platform for this revolution. High throughput, low fees—it’s basically built for this stuff. Despite market volatility causing massive liquidations in crypto markets, the Solana ecosystem is integrating tokenized stocks into DeFi protocols, letting users build complex investment strategies that would make traditional portfolio managers jealous. Phantom wallet has added support for xStocks, bringing tokenized stocks directly to users’ fingertips.
The DeFi market itself hit $32.36 billion in 2025, with projections reaching $1.56 trillion by 2034. That’s a compound annual growth rate above 50%. North America leads the charge thanks to regulatory progress and infrastructure, while Asia Pacific is positioned for the fastest growth. This explosive growth is attracting major institutions like BlackRock to integrate with DeFi platforms.
Regulatory compliance isn’t being ignored, thankfully. Bybit adheres to EU’s MiFID II directive, and they’re planning dividend distribution on tokenized stocks. Securitize leads with regulatory-aware sToken frameworks, using intermediary vault technology to keep things compliant while enabling DeFi integration.
The technical innovation extends beyond simple tokenization. These assets can be seamlessly managed alongside cryptocurrencies and stablecoins, creating portfolio diversification opportunities that didn’t exist before.
DeFi’s composability allows users to build multi-asset strategies that bridge traditional finance and crypto ecosystems. This isn’t just innovation—it’s transformation. The relentless nature of tokenized stock trading is reshaping how we think about markets, accessibility, and financial infrastructure.
