Crypto
exchange MEXC has started letting users buy real shares in US-listed companies
and collect any dividends on them, settling the trades in the stablecoin USDT.
The exchange said the new service, called RealStocks, pushes it past the
tokenized stock products that swept the industry last year.
MEXC said
late Sunday that eligible users can purchase shares in real US companies
through a licensed broker partner, with the same market exposure and liquidity
as ordinary US equity markets. The company, however, did not name the broker.
Trades run
inside MEXC’s existing crypto interface and follow Nasdaq trading hours, the
exchange said. Platform trading fees are waived during the launch period,
though MEXC noted that regulatory and exchange charges, including SEC and FINRA
fees, still apply.
Real Shares, Not Synthetic
Tokens
The selling
point MEXC is leaning on is ownership. The company said RealStocks buyers hold
actual shares and the dividends that come with them, rather than the kind of tokenized stock that only tracks a price.
That
framing is a direct shot at the format that dominated crypto’s push into
equities through 2025. Many of those products gave traders price exposure
without the dividends or shareholder rights attached to the underlying shares.
CEO Vugar
Usi said the product lets users “truly own world-class traditional
financial assets within a familiar crypto trading environment,” according
to the company. He tied the timing to a run
of expected technology IPOs in 2026, including SpaceX.
MEXC added
the service drew more than 20,000 users during a beta phase before the wider
rollout.
Crypto Exchanges Race Into
Equity Trading
MEXC is the
latest crypto venue to chase stock traders. The race kicked off in earnest last
June, when Kraken and Bybit listed tokenized US
stocks within hours
of each other under the xStocks brand, built with Swiss issuer Backed Finance.
Others
piled in quickly. Bitget integrated xStocks alongside
Robinhood and Kraken
in July, while KuCoin rolled out its own tokenized
equities shortly
after. Robinhood’s version, which included tokens tied to OpenAI and SpaceX,
drew regulatory scrutiny in the European Union.
MEXC itself
already sells equity exposure through USDT-settled stock futures with up
to 5x leverage.
RealStocks is a different bet. Where the tokenized products and futures offer
derivative or synthetic exposure, MEXC says this one routes orders to a real
broker and delivers real shares, closer to a traditional brokerage account than
to a blockchain token.
The
distinction has become a point of contention in the sector. Kraken, which owns
Backed Finance and says its xStocks have cleared $25 billion in
trades, has called rivals that tokenize private
company shares risky for investors who can struggle to sell.
The Broker and the Fine
Print
Several
details remain thin. MEXC has not disclosed which licensed broker handles the
trades, how shares are custodied, or how the USDT-to-dollar conversion is
priced.
The service
is also limited by geography. MEXC said RealStocks is available only in certain
jurisdictions, with access restricted elsewhere by local law. The statement
carried a Comoros dateline, an offshore base, and the exchange has faced
regulatory friction before.
Hong Kong’s
securities regulator placed MEXC on a warning list over unlicensed
activity in 2024.
The
“0-fee” label also has limits. MEXC said the waiver covers only its
own platform charge, and that users still face SEC transaction fees, FINRA
activity fees, and clearing and exchange costs.
This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.
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