Coinbase-issued tokenized stocks go live on Base as onchain equities expand

Coinbase tokenized stocks are now live on Base, bringing shares of major US companies, including Apple and Nvidia, into the network’s DeFi ecosystem.

The products are issued by Coinbase using Base’s B20 token standard and are backed one for one by underlying shares held with regulated custodian Alpaca. Holders have a direct beneficial claim on the corresponding shares.

The stocks are available to eligible users outside the US and can be held directly in self custody wallets. Unlike traditional equities, the tokens can trade around the clock through onchain markets.

Initial assets include tokenized shares of Apple, Nvidia, Meta, and Alphabet. Base said additional Coinbase tokenized stocks will be added over the coming weeks.

The launch also connects the assets with several DeFi protocols on Base. Aerodrome is providing liquidity for tokenized stock trading, while lending protocols including Aave can support borrowing and lending against the assets.

That could allow users to hold tokenized equities alongside stablecoins, use stocks as collateral for loans, supply them to liquidity markets, or incorporate them into automated investment products.

The tokens use B20, a standard that extends ERC 20 and is designed to remain compatible with existing wallets, decentralized exchanges, routers, and DeFi protocols. Corporate actions, including dividends and stock splits, are handled through an onchain multiplier designed to avoid disrupting existing DeFi positions.

Base said the structure is intended to make equities programmable in the same way crypto assets and stablecoins already are.

The launch also opens the door for developers to build products combining traditional equities with crypto-native financial infrastructure, including portfolio backed lending, automated trading, derivatives, and structured products.

Base is also positioning tokenized stocks as infrastructure for autonomous agents. Projects including Virtuals and Treasures are already integrating tokenized assets into agent-based trading systems, according to Base.

Coinbase Tokenized Stocks are backed by shares purchased by institutional market makers and held through Alpaca in a bankruptcy-remote custody structure supervised under the Abu Dhabi Global Market regulatory framework.

Base said more tokenized equities and other real-world assets are expected to launch on the network as it expands its push to bring traditional financial markets onchain.