Wall Street Goes Onchain as Coinbase Launches Apple, Nvidia and Meta Stocks on Base

Coinbase has officially launched tokenized U.S. stocks on Base, allowing eligible investors outside the United States to trade blockchain-based versions of some of America’s biggest companies around the clock and use those assets across DeFi.

The initial rollout includes tokenized shares of Apple, Nvidia, Meta and Alphabet, with each token backed 1:1 by an actual underlying share held in regulated custody. 

The launch pushes Coinbase beyond cryptocy trading and deeper into its goal of becoming an “Everything Exchange” where traditional and digital assets increasingly operate on the same infrastructure.

Apple and Nvidia Shares Are Now Tokens on Base

Coinbase’s new product takes publicly traded U.S. equities and creates blockchain-based representations that can move across the Base ecosystem.

At launch, the lineup includes:

• Apple
• Nvidia
• Meta Platforms
• Alphabet

Each token represents economic exposure to a real share rather than a synthetic derivative. Coinbase says the underlying equities are maintained in regulated, bankruptcy-remote custody, separate from the company’s own assets. 

The tokens are issued using Coinbase’s new B20 token standard on Base.

Unlike conventional stocks restricted by exchange hours, the tokenized versions can potentially trade 24 hours a day, seven days a week — including weekends and market holidays. 

Tokenized Stocks Can Be Used Inside DeFi

The bigger development isn’t simply putting stocks on a blockchain.

Coinbase is designing the assets to be composable, meaning they can interact with other applications across Base.

Eligible holders can potentially:

• Trade tokenized stocks 24/7
• Hold them in self-custodial wallets
• Transfer them onchain
• Use stocks across supported DeFi applications
• Potentially lend or borrow against tokenized equities
• Receive economic benefits from dividends and stock splits

This could eventually turn traditional stocks into programmable blockchain assets rather than investments trapped inside brokerage accounts.

For example, a tokenized Nvidia share could theoretically become collateral inside a DeFi lending protocol without the investor first selling the stock.

Abu Dhabi Becomes Coinbase’s Tokenization Hub

The launch is operating through Coinbase’s newly established international tokenization hub in Abu Dhabi Global Market.

Coinbase recently received authorization from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority to arrange investments and provide custody for tokenized securities. 

The structure allows Coinbase to issue tokenized equities backed by real securities while operating under a regulated framework.

Coinbase says token holders receive claims on the underlying shares, with economic benefits including dividends incorporated into the token structure. 

U.S. Investors Can’t Access Coinbase’s Tokenized Stocks Yet

There’s one major catch.

Coinbase’s tokenized equities aren’t currently available to U.S. investors.

The products are being offered under Regulation S, which allows certain securities offerings outside the United States. Availability also depends on individual jurisdictions. 

That creates an unusual situation where international investors can access tokenized versions of major American companies before investors living in the United States can.

Coinbase has made no secret of wanting to eventually bring tokenized equities to its U.S. customers, but doing so would require navigating American securities regulations.

Coinbase Joins the Tokenized Stock Race

Coinbase isn’t alone in trying to bring Wall Street onchain.

Tokenized stocks have become one of the hottest areas of real-world asset tokenization as crypto companies compete to connect traditional securities with blockchain infrastructure.

What could separate Coinbase is its combination of Base, institutional custody, international regulatory licenses, self-custody wallets and DeFi infrastructure.

The company isn’t simply trying to create digital copies of stocks.

It wants those stocks to behave like crypto assets.

Apple shares could move between wallets. Nvidia could trade on weekends. Meta could potentially become DeFi collateral. And settlement could happen directly onchain.

Coinbase describes its tokenization infrastructure as capable of supporting instant settlement while connecting traditional financial markets with blockchain-based applications. 

Coinbase Wants Stocks and Crypto Living on the Same Rails

The launch fits directly into Coinbase’s larger transformation.

The company is expanding beyond its original role as a cryptocy exchange into stocks, perpetual futures, prediction markets, token sales, payments and onchain applications. 

Tokenized equities could become one of the most important pieces of that strategy because they blur the distinction between traditional finance and crypto.

A stock no longer necessarily has to live inside a brokerage account.

It can become a blockchain token capable of moving, trading and interacting with other financial applications just like USDC or another digital asset.

The initial launch includes only four companies and remains unavailable in the United States, so Coinbase still has a long way to go.

But the direction is clear.

Coinbase isn’t just trying to bring crypto to Wall Street anymore. It’s trying to bring Wall Street onchain.