Kraken Shatters Barriers: Tokenized US Stocks Now Live Across Europe

Kraken just rewrote the rulebook—European investors can now trade tokenized versions of top US stocks directly on the exchange.

No more middlemen, no more international brokerage headaches. Buy, sell, and hold fractional shares of giants like Apple and Tesla with the same ease as swapping crypto.

Traditional finance gatekeepers are sweating. Kraken’s move effectively bypasses decades of regulatory red tape—giving retail traders institutional-grade access without the usual fuss.

It’s a bold step toward a blended financial future, though let’s be real—Wall Street won’t exactly be sending thank-you cards.

Bridge to global markets - simpler and more efficient

With this, Kraken expands a global rollout strategy that was first launched in June across more than 140 countries and has since reached a trading volume of over USD 3.5 billion. The system, powered in the background by technology from the Swiss fintech platform Backed Finance, is based on tokenized certificates that precisely track the price of real US stocks. For European investors, this significantly reduces complexity - while Web3 features such as self-custody and interoperability become accessible.

“Assets are not locked in a single exchange, wallet, or blockchain - they can MOVE freely like any other cryptocurrency” - Mark Greenberg, Global Head of Consumer Kraken

While competitors such as Robinhood offer similar products, Kraken relies on a multi-chain strategy and full DeFi compatibility. The first network used is Solana, with others such as ethereum or BNB Chain to follow.

Switzerland as a pioneer in the European market

Before Kraken now rolls out xStocks across the EU, Switzerland was already one of the first countries where the product launched in August 2025, as reported here. The successful launch in crypto Valley served as a testing ground for the European expansion.

There, strong interest was already evident from both institutional and retail investors who valued the simplified access to US stocks via blockchain. With the current opening to the EU, Kraken is building on these experiences and clearly positioning itself as a pioneer in the field of tokenized securities.