BNB News Today: Ondo's BNB Chain Move Democratizes 24/5 Global Access to U.S. Markets

Ondo Finance has expanded its tokenized securities platform to BNB Chain, a move that brings over 100 U.S. stocks and ETFs-including Apple, Tesla, and the S&P 500 ETF-to one of the world's most active blockchain networks. The collaboration with Bitget Wallet, a self-custodial crypto wallet with 80 million users, enables non-U.S. investors to trade these tokenized assets 24/5, bypassing traditional brokerage intermediaries, according to a CoinEdition report. This integration marks a significant step in democratizing access to U.S. markets, leveraging blockchain's speed and interoperability to reach users in Asia, Latin America, and beyond, according to The Block.

The tokenized assets, fully backed by real-world securities held in U.S. custodians, offer exposure to price movements and reinvested dividends, as CoinEdition noted. Unlike traditional DeFi models reliant on liquidity pools, Ondo's infrastructure connects directly to traditional equity market liquidity, allowing purchases starting at $1, CoinEdition added. Since its September launch on Ethereum, Ondo Global Markets has surpassed $350 million in total value locked (TVL) and $669 million in onchain trading volume, making it the largest tokenized securities platform, according to CoinDesk.

The expansion aligns with BNB Chain's push to grow its real-world asset (RWA) ecosystem. Sarah Song, head of business development at BNB Chain, noted that Ondo's entry validates the chain's momentum in RWAs, The Block reported. The tokenized securities market has more than doubled since August to nearly $700 million TVL, with Ondo contributing approximately $320 million, CoinDesk reported. This growth reflects broader adoption by platforms like Robinhood and Kraken, which have also introduced onchain equity trading, CoinDesk added.

Ondo's CEO, Nathan Allman, emphasized the strategic importance of BNB Chain's user base, describing the move as a "major step toward making U.S. markets globally accessible through blockchain technology," The Block reported. The platform's cross-chain compatibility-supporting Ethereum, Solana, and BNB Chain-further enhances liquidity and accessibility, CoinEdition noted. Bitget Wallet's CMO, Jamie Elkaleh, highlighted the partnership as a bridge between traditional finance and crypto, enabling users to access RWAs via a single wallet, CoinEdition added.

The expansion also intensifies competition in the tokenized stock space. Ondo now faces rivals like Backed and Kraken's xStocks, both of which operate on BNB Chain, CoinDesk reported. Meanwhile, the tokenized securities market's rapid growth underscores its potential to disrupt traditional financial infrastructure, with Ondo's TVL outpacing all other platforms combined, CoinEdition noted.