Kraken Drops Wall Street Bombshell: Tokenized Apple, Tesla, and Nvidia Stocks Hit Blockchain

Traditional finance just got a crypto-sized uppercut. Kraken—the exchange that never met a boundary it didn’t want to blur—just unleashed tokenized versions of Big Tech’s holy trinity: Apple, Tesla, and Nvidia. Now traders can HODL stock slices without the pesky paperwork (or the 9-to-5 broker who still thinks Bitcoin’s a ‘fad’).

Zero shares were harmed in the making of this blockchain experiment. The move screams ‘disruption’ but whispers ‘liquidity play’—because what’s decentralization without a little exchange profit on the side?

Prediction: Wall Street will either ignore this entirely or panic-copy it within 18 months. Place your bets.

Tokenized stocks: 24/7 trading on the Solana blockchain

The new product line will launch with over 50 stocks and ETFs available as so-called xStocks. The key difference from traditional stock trading: these tokenized stocks can be traded 24/7 – including weekends and in real time, without centralized clearing houses.

xStocks are fully backed by real equities and can be redeemed for fiat currency. Custody is handled by Backed Finance, a Swiss company focused on compliant tokenization. Technically, the process runs on Solana, offering high speed, low fees, and seamless wallet integration.

Regulatory environment and outlook

Kraken emphasizes its active collaboration with regulatory authorities to meet all local compliance requirements. Unlike earlier tokenization attempts – such as Binance’s in 2021 – the new model is designed to be legally compliant and sustainable. Kraken’s choice of Solana once again underscores how strongly the network is positioning itself as infrastructure for tokenized assets – Robinhood recently used Solana for a RWA pilot project.

xStocks offer international users a low-barrier entry to US stocks, particularly in countries without direct access to stock markets. This could enable Kraken to reach a new audience for digital financial products – with real assets and blockchain efficiency.

With this offering, the exchange demonstrates how the tokenization of real-world assets is increasingly becoming a bridge between the crypto and traditional finance worlds. If successful, the model could serve as a blueprint for other exchanges and asset classes – including bonds, real estate, or commodities.