Tokenized markets widened global investment access in 2025 as platforms including Robinhood, Kraken and Ondo Finance launched blockchain-based exposure to US stocks and ETFs for non-US investors.
The shift matters for developing economies, which produce more than 40% of global economic output but hold less than 12% of global equity market value.
Robinhood launched more than 200 Tokenized US stocks and exchange-traded funds for European Union customers on Arbitrum in June 2025, with 24-hour weekday trading and commission-free access, according to ETF Stream and CoinDesk.
Kraken’s xStocks offering gives users access to tokenized US stocks and ETFs, including Apple and Nvidia, with 24-hour weekday trading, according to the company’s product page.
Ondo Finance said its Ondo Global Markets platform launched with more than 100 tokenised US stocks and ETFs for eligible investors across Asia-Pacific, Africa and Latin America, with instant minting and redemption on the Ethereum network.
Institutional adoption has also accelerated. BlackRock’s tokenised treasury fund BUIDL crossed USD 2 billion in assets under management in March 2026, according to Blocklr.
Permissionless infrastructure, such as Hyperliquid’s HIP-3, has enabled markets for assets including crude oil, silver and the S&P 500 to trade around the clock via wallet-based access.
For emerging-market policymakers, the issue is shifting from whether citizens can access global capital markets to how governments can make on-chain participation safer, taxable and economically useful.
