Coinbase has launched tokenized U.S. stocks for eligible users outside the United States, opening another route for investors to gain blockchain-based exposure to companies such as Apple and NVIDIA.
A key part of the rollout is Coinbase's selection of Chainlink to provide pricing infrastructure for the tokenized equities. Reliable on-chain prices could allow these assets to move beyond simple trading and become usable across decentralized finance applications.
That means tokenized stocks could potentially function similarly to stablecoins and tokenized Treasury products in DeFi, where assets can be traded, supplied as liquidity or used as collateral for loans.
The development comes as tokenized equities emerge as one of the fastest-growing segments of real-world assets, with both crypto-native companies and traditional financial institutions exploring ways to bring stocks onto blockchain networks.
Chainlink Provides Critical Price Data
For tokenized stocks to function effectively within DeFi, protocols need reliable information about the value of their underlying shares. Without dependable pricing, lending protocols cannot accurately calculate collateral values or determine when leveraged positions should be liquidated.
Coinbase has selected Chainlink to provide this infrastructure.
Token prices are designed to follow the underlying equities while using an on-chain multiplier adjustment to account for corporate actions such as dividends and stock splits without necessarily changing the number of tokens held by investors.
This type of infrastructure becomes particularly important as tokenized equities move into lending and other more complex DeFi applications.
Chainlink has already established itself in the tokenized asset sector, including through its involvement with Robinhood Chain, where dependable pricing infrastructure also plays an important role.
Apple and NVIDIA Shares Enter Base DeFi
The tokenized stocks are available on Base, Coinbase's Ethereum Layer 2 network, where they can interact with decentralized applications.
According to Base, the tokens are backed by corresponding regulated shares held through Alpaca under a structure designed to separate the underlying assets from potential bankruptcy risks.
Eligible investors using self-custody wallets can hold fractional exposure to companies such as Apple and NVIDIA. The assets can also interact with decentralized platforms, including trading through Aerodrome.
Tokenized NVIDIA positions can even be used as collateral on Aave, demonstrating how blockchain-based equities can become productive assets rather than simply digital representations of traditional shares.
The stocks use Base's B20 token standard, an extension of ERC-20 designed specifically for tokenized equities. Once issued, they can interact with compatible DeFi applications similarly to other blockchain assets.
Coinbase Builds Tokenization Hub in Abu Dhabi
The regulatory structure supporting the initiative sits outside the United States. On August 11, Coinbase announced that it had received approval from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Abu Dhabi Global Market to operate a global tokenization hub.
Coinbase says assets issued through the framework are backed by underlying shares, while verified holders can receive associated dividends and voting rights.
However, access remains limited to eligible users outside the United States and within supported jurisdictions.
Transfers are also subject to sanctions screening and other compliance controls. Coinbase has said that tokenized assets can be frozen at the wallet level when necessary, illustrating how regulated tokenization can differ from permissionless crypto assets.
Tokenized Stocks See Explosive Growth
The launch comes as demand for tokenized equities is increasing rapidly. By the end of June 2026, tokenized stocks had reached approximately $1.7 billion in market capitalization, according to estimates from a16z crypto. That compares with roughly $329 million one year earlier.
Activity has grown even faster. Monthly on-chain transfer volume jumped from $53 million in June 2025 to $9.22 billion in June 2026, highlighting the increasing use of blockchain rails for traditional financial assets.
Tokenized real-world assets are also becoming more deeply integrated into DeFi. Deposits of these assets across decentralized lending platforms and exchanges increased from $2.3 billion in Q2 2025 to $7.4 billion in Q2 2026, according to CoinShares and Token Terminal.
That growth occurred even as overall DeFi deposits declined by approximately 15%, suggesting real-world assets are gaining market share within decentralized finance.
Tokenized Equities Move Beyond Simple Trading
Coinbase is entering an increasingly competitive market. Nasdaq is developing blockchain connectivity for tokenized equities with Kraken parent Payward, while Robinhood has already expanded its own tokenized stock infrastructure.
The bigger question is whether investors will actually use these assets throughout DeFi rather than simply holding them in wallets.
If tokenized equities increasingly become collateral, liquidity and building blocks for decentralized financial products, dependable pricing infrastructure will become essential.
The Coinbase and Chainlink integration therefore represents more than another way to trade U.S. stocks. It could help push tokenized equities toward becoming active components of the broader on-chain financial system.
