Kraken has officially entered the tokenized equities race, launching a new offering called xStocks—bringing U.S. stocks and ETFs to the blockchain via Solana for non-U.S. clients.

Unlike traditional brokers that operate within strict borders and delays, Kraken’s collaboration with tokenization firm Backed enables near-instant access to assets like Apple, Tesla, or the S&P 500 ETF—issued as SPL tokens on Solana. These assets can be traded through Kraken or directly on-chain, unlocking additional use cases such as using them as DeFi collateral.

“This is what the future of investing looks like,” says Kraken’s Global Head of Consumer, Mark Greenberg.

Kraken chose Solana for its high throughput and low latency, which aligns with their vision of fast, borderless asset access. The exchange hinted at expanding both the list of tokenized equities and the number of supported regions.

Why It Matters

• Tokenized stocks can help global investors bypass geographic restrictions.
• Solana strengthens its role as a real-world finance enabler.
• Kraken positions itself as a leader in bridging TradFi and DeFi.

Buy or Sit Back?

This move could bring more liquidity and user demand to SOL, and maybe even to the broader tokenized asset sector. If regulatory frameworks stay favorable, early movers like Solana may benefit from significant adoption.

📌 As always, this is not investment advice. Do your own research before making any financial decisions.