Kraken-Backed xStocks Launches on TON, Bringing Tokenized US Stocks to Telegram’s 900M Users

Wall Street just got a direct line to your phone. Kraken-backed xStocks is launching on The Open Network (TON), bringing tokenized US equities directly into Telegram's ecosystem. This isn't a test—it's a full-scale invasion of traditional finance by crypto rails.

Tokenization Goes Mainstream

Forget clunky brokerage apps. xStocks leverages TON's speed to let users buy fractional shares of giants like Apple or Tesla within a messenger. It bypasses traditional custodians, slashing settlement times from days to seconds. The target? Telegram's massive, global user base that traditional finance has largely ignored.

The Mechanics of the Move

The play is simple: use blockchain to mirror stock performance without the paperwork. Each token is backed 1:1 by the underlying security held in regulated custody. It's a bridge between the volatile world of crypto and the steady, if stodgy, returns of blue-chip stocks. The promise is 24/7 trading, lower barriers to entry, and an end to waiting for market opens.

A New Front in the Finance War

This launch signals a deeper convergence. Crypto exchanges aren't just competing with each other anymore; they're gunning for the legacy stock market's lunch. By embedding financial services into a social platform, they're betting on convenience over tradition. It's a jab at the old guard's complacency—after all, if your broker still uses faxes, it might be time for an upgrade.

The final take? The lines between social media, messaging, and your investment portfolio are blurring into oblivion. Whether this makes investing smarter or just more distracting remains to be seen. One thing's clear: the future of finance won't be found on a trading floor, but in your chat window.

xStocks Offer Onchain Price Exposure Without Direct Share Ownership

xStocks are designed as fully collateralized products, backed one-to-one by underlying equities and ETFs held through regulated partners.

The tokens track the price of the underlying assets but do not confer direct ownership of the shares, offering users price exposure in an onchain format.

The service is not available to US users and is restricted to jurisdictions where the tokens can be legally offered.

xStocks has not registered under the US Securities Act of 1933, meaning distribution relies on jurisdictional controls.

Tokenized equities are not new, but previous attempts struggled to gain traction. Liquidity constraints, regulatory uncertainty and limited distribution often confined earlier offerings to niche crypto platforms.

xStocks are going LIVE

Available today on @krakenfx, @Bybit_Official and being rolled out on @solana, this is the next step for internet capital markets.

Real assets, real value, for real people. pic.twitter.com/NQ1dKEfNjD

By embedding tokenized stocks inside a mainstream messaging app, Kraken and its partners appear to be testing whether access and ease of use can unlock broader adoption.

The TON Foundation framed the launch as a step toward bringing real-world assets into everyday digital activity.

TON Foundation president and CEO Max Crown said the integration allows users to hold and trade tokenized U.S. equities “with the same ease as sending a message,” while maintaining self-custody through TON Wallet.

For Telegram’s wallet ecosystem, the MOVE builds on earlier experiments. Wallet in Telegram previously launched custodial access to stocks and ETFs through its Crypto Wallet product, which saw early demand despite limited geographic availability.

Telegram claims more than 900 million global users, while TON Wallet reports close to 100 million users, giving xStocks immediate exposure to a large consumer base.

RWA Tokenization Gains Momentum

Earlier this month, Libeara, the blockchain infrastructure platform backed by Standard Chartered’s venture arm SC Ventures, rolled out a new tokenized Gold investment fund in Singapore, bringing one of the world’s oldest safe-haven assets onto digital rails.

The fund, launched in partnership with FundBridge Capital, allows professional investors to gain exposure to gold through blockchain-based tokens issued on Libeara’s ledger.

In a recent research, Web3 digital property firm Animoca Brands said that tokenization of RWAs could unlock a $400 trillion traditional finance market.

Animoca researchers Andrew Ho and Ming Ruan said the global market for private credit, treasury debt, commodities, stocks, alternative funds, and bonds represents a vast runway for growth.

“The estimated $400 trillion addressable TradFi market underscores the potential growth runway for RWA tokenization,” they wrote.

Meanwhile, according to the 2025 Skynet RWA Security Report, the market for tokenized RWAs could grow to $16 trillion by 2030.