The crypto exchange Kraken has officially launched its xStocks product - tokenized US stocks - for investors in the European Union. This gives EU customers direct access to digital versions of popular US equities such as Tesla, Amazon, or ETFs - available around the clock and without the detour through traditional brokers.
From now on, Kraken enables EU users to trade more than 60 digitally represented US stocks and ETFs via its app - fully blockchain-based, without high fees or complicated account openings, as Bloomberg reports.
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Bridge to global markets - simpler and more efficient
With this, Kraken expands a global rollout strategy that was first launched in June across more than 140 countries and has since reached a trading volume of over USD 3.5 billion. The system, powered in the background by technology from the Swiss fintech platform Backed Finance, is based on tokenized certificates that precisely track the price of real US stocks. For European investors, this significantly reduces complexity - while Web3 features such as self-custody and interoperability become accessible.
“Assets are not locked in a single exchange, wallet, or blockchain - they can move freely like any other cryptocurrency” - Mark Greenberg, Global Head of Consumer Kraken
While competitors such as Robinhood offer similar products, Kraken relies on a multi-chain strategy and full DeFi compatibility. The first network used is Solana, with others such as Ethereum or BNB Chain to follow.
Switzerland as a pioneer in the European market
Before Kraken now rolls out xStocks across the EU, Switzerland was already one of the first countries where the product launched in August 2025, as reported here. The successful launch in Crypto Valley served as a testing ground for the European expansion.
There, strong interest was already evident from both institutional and retail investors who valued the simplified access to US stocks via blockchain. With the current opening to the EU, Kraken is building on these experiences and clearly positioning itself as a pioneer in the field of tokenized securities.
