Kraken is extending its xStocks offering to European customers and incorporating BEP-20 support for tokenized U.S. equities, enhancing accessibility for international investors.

Executive Summary

Kraken is expanding its xStocks offering to European customers and will include BEP-20 support for tokenized U.S. equities. This move aims to simplify access to U.S. equities for international investors, enabling 24/7 trading. The expansion follows successful deployments on Solana, BNB Chain, and Tron, with xStocks having generated over $3.5 billion in trading volume since June 2025. The integration of BEP-20 aims to leverage Binance Smart Chain's low fees and high processing capacity.

The Event in Detail

Kraken's xStocks platform now offers over 50 tokenized U.S. equities, including names like Nvidia and Google, to European customers. These tokens are backed 1:1 by underlying equities, ensuring price alignment. By integrating BEP-20, Kraken enables trading of tokenized stocks on Binance Smart Chain. Previously, xStocks were available on Solana, BNB Chain, and TRON. Each xStocks token will be backed by shares of the underlying securities, ensuring that their prices remain aligned with the corresponding stocks.

Market Implications

The expansion could lead to increased adoption of tokenized stocks, providing European investors with wider accessibility to U.S. equities. The move has the potential to integrate with DeFi protocols. According to Binance Research, the total value of tokenized stocks stands at $360 million, representing 1.35% of the $26.5 billion in tokenized real-world assets (RWAs). However, they project that the sector could reach over $1.3 trillion if just 1% of the global equities market is tokenized.

Expert Commentary

“Ethereum is one of the world's most widely adopted smart contract networks — and xStocks were built to meet users where they already are,” a Kraken representative said.

Broader Context

The expansion occurs amid growing interest in tokenized real-world assets. While the potential benefits include fractional ownership and increased liquidity, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has cautioned that many tokenized stock products may not grant actual shareholder rights. This has led to concerns about investor misunderstanding. Platforms facilitating tokenized assets on BSC empower investors to diversify their portfolios and participate in global markets seamlessly.