HTX Launches 20 U.S. Stock- and ETF-Linked Tokens, With Access Rules Unspecified
HTX began introducing 20 tokenized U.S. stocks and ETFs on November 9, 2026, in a launch announced by Justin Sun. The USDT-denominated products offer economic exposure rather than direct share ownership. The exchange has not confirmed whether U.S. residents are eligible or when withdrawals will open.
Layla Haddad
Trading opens in stages
Sun posted the announcement on X after HTX released its listing schedule. The lineup includes tokens tied to Nvidia, Tesla, Circle and Strategy, alongside ETFs. Some of the funds use leverage, which can amplify market movements and give them different risks and performance characteristics from conventional stocks.
The listed symbols include SNDK, SOXL, SPCX, CRCL, MSTR, MU, TSLA, NVDA, INTC, AMD, QQQ, TQQQ and GOOGL. HTX scheduled deposits for 08:00 UTC on November 9, with SPCX/USDT trading set for 09:00 UTC and CRCL/USDT for 10:00 UTC. Other pairs are expected to follow as liquidity develops; the exchange has not set a withdrawal opening date.
Maker fees are waived for the period from November 9, 2026, through February 9, 2027. Taker fees remain in effect.
What the tokens give holders
HTX is starting with the bStocks series on BNB Smart Chain and has published contract addresses for all 20 supported tokens. The exchange may later add other issuers and networks. Its unified trading model allows supported tokens linked to the same security to use a common symbol, account balance and order book across chains.
Crypto Economy identifies the bStocks issuer as BTECH Holdings, a special purpose vehicle established under the Abu Dhabi Global Market jurisdiction. The series uses BEP-20 tokens to provide 1:1 economic exposure to U.S. equities held by regulated custodians.
That exposure does not make an HTX customer a direct owner of the underlying shares. HTX classifies the products as tokenized derivatives, while the bStocks framework gives holders neither voting nor corporate governance rights. It also reinvests dividends automatically instead of making periodic cash distributions, according to Crypto Economy.
HTX's listing notice says backing may consist of underlying securities or other eligible assets. Issuer documentation governs custody, redemption and the handling of dividends, stock splits and other corporate actions. The exchange warns that token prices can depart from the prices of the securities they track, especially when regular U.S. markets are closed.
Eligibility remains unresolved
HTX did not identify the countries eligible for the service when asked about access. It said it complies with local regulatory requirements and excludes users in restricted jurisdictions under its Terms of Service and compliance policies, but did not explicitly say whether U.S. residents can participate.
Other providers have stated U.S. restrictions more directly. According to Crypto Economy, Binance's official bStocks terms bar U.S. persons or residents. Robinhood also excludes U.S. persons from the offering and distribution of its stock tokens, which Robinhood Assets (Jersey) Limited issues as tokenized debt securities.
The U.S. regulatory backdrop includes a separate framework with shareholder-rights requirements. Seoul Economic Daily reported that the SEC introduced an Innovation Exemption on September 17, 2026, allowing qualifying tokenized securities venues to tokenize U.S.-listed stocks and trade them on-chain under a five-year conditional exemption.
That framework requires the instruments to carry the same dividend and voting rights as the underlying shares, rather than merely track their prices synthetically. It also gives a company 30 days to object if a third party tokenizes its stock without consent.
There were also indications of a similar stock-linked service being introduced on Poloniex. HTX supplied no further information about its assets or trading timetable.
A broader market for tokenized equities
HTX joins other crypto platforms offering exposure to securities. Binance has introduced products tied to companies including Nvidia and Tesla, while Kraken has expanded its stock trading services and xStocks offering in Europe.
The bStocks line began operating in June 2026. On October 15, Binance announced that its bStocks assets under management had passed $1 billion and that cumulative conversions between shares and tokens exceeded $6 billion. By November 3, Crypto Economy reported nearly $1.4 billion in tokenized value across Binance's 104 active bStocks products, representing about 38% of the global tokenized-stock market tracked by RWA.xyz.
BNB Chain reported that its ecosystem already had more than 709 tokenized stocks and ETFs by late June 2026. It put cumulative tokenized-stock volume above $5 billion and market capitalization above $1 billion, describing itself as the leading chain for the category. Beyond exchange trading, bStocks can serve as collateral on Venus Protocol and Lista DAO or be traded through PancakeSwap, Trust Wallet and Aster.
A separate snapshot from Binance Research put global tokenized-stock assets under management at $4.43 billion on September 15, 2026, a 390.4% increase since the start of the year. The category's share of the total real-world-asset market rose from 4.9% to 13.0% over that period.
Binance Research's projections for 2030 range from $61 billion in a conservative scenario to $987 billion in a bullish one, with a base-case estimate of $349 billion.
HTX declines comment on Sun's settled SEC case
Asked about Sun's earlier regulatory proceedings, HTX declined to discuss legal matters or regulatory cases concerning specific individuals. It said the exchange operates independently and focuses on protecting user assets, maintaining market integrity and complying with requirements in its markets.
The SEC brought the case against Sun and related entities in March 2023, alleging unregistered cryptocurrency offerings and wash trading. In March 2026, the regulator announced a settlement that dismissed its claims against Sun, the Tron Foundation and the BitTorrent Foundation with prejudice.
A federal court's March 9 final judgment required fellow defendant Rainberry to pay a $10 million civil penalty. The defendants accepted the resolution without admitting or denying the relevant allegations.
Separately, HTX reached an agreement in the United Kingdom in October concerning restrictions on financial promotions. Some of its undertakings extend through October 2031.
