Coinbase has started offering tokenized stocks on its Base network, giving eligible traders outside the U.S. the chance to hold shares like Apple and Nvidia on a blockchain. The B20 equities product trades 24/7 and uses Chainlink price feeds to keep token prices in line with what's happening on Wall Street. These tokens aren't locked in a trading app either — they're designed to plug directly into DeFi protocols.
What the B20 launch includes
The initial batch covers some of the most recognizable names in the market. Apple and Nvidia are part of the lineup, and the tokenized shares are issued under the B20 label. The move means investors in eligible regions can now hold a piece of a tech giant without buying the underlying stock directly. Instead, they get a token that mirrors its value.
Coinbase built this on Base, its own layer-2 network. That matters because Base is built to handle high transaction volumes at low cost, which makes it practical for trading equities around the clock. It also opens up the possibility of using those shares as collateral in DeFi markets.
Chainlink keeps the price honest
For tokenized stocks to work, the price has to stay accurate. Chainlink price feeds are doing that job. They pull real-time market data and push it onto the blockchain so that the token's value doesn't drift far from the actual stock price. Without that, a trader couldn't trust that their Apple token is worth what Apple's stock is trading for on the Nasdaq.
The choice of Chainlink matters here because it's a widely used oracle network. That means the price data is already integrated across a lot of DeFi apps, so the tokenized stocks can be recognized as collateral or traded in decentralized exchanges without a lot of custom work.
DeFi use beyond just buying and selling
Tokenization doesn't just turn a stock into a crypto token. It opens up the possibility of using that token in lending pools, as collateral for loans, or in yield farming strategies. Coinbase's move is a step toward merging traditional finance with decentralized finance, even if it's only for non-U.S. users right now.
The company hasn't said which other stocks might follow Apple and Nvidia, or when U.S. users might get access. For now, the focus is on the 24/7 trading and the integration with DeFi. The timing also matters — tokenized stocks have been a growing niche as more platforms explore ways to bring equities onto blockchains.
The launch is live, and traders in eligible countries can already start using it. What's still open is how broadly this will spread beyond the initial list of stocks and whether regulators will let it expand beyond the non-U.S. audience.
