Coinbase Brings Stock Trading Onchain with Base Launch and Chainlink Price Feeds

Stocks Meet Blockchain

Coinbase has made its tokenized stocks available on Base, the company’s layer-2 blockchain, marking a significant step in bringing traditional equities into the decentralized finance ecosystem. The launch, which went live Monday, includes tokenized versions of major companies including Apple, Nvidia, Meta, and Alphabet. According to Coinbase, this integration removes barriers that traditionally limited retail access to equities, enabling global participation beyond standard market hours.

The infrastructure supporting these tokens relies on Chainlink’s Data Feeds, which supply continuous pricing information to DeFi applications looking to integrate the assets. According to Chainlink’s documentation, the price feeds calculate the value of each token by combining the underlying stock price with a multiplier provided by Coinbase—a mechanism designed to account for dividends and corporate actions.

Structure and Real-World Applications

The tokenized stocks are issued as B20 tokens directly on Base and are structured to represent direct claims on actual shares held by Alpaca, a regulated broker and custodian operating under Abu Dhabi Global Market supervision. This setup allows eligible non-U.S. users to maintain self-custody of their holdings while remaining connected to real underlying assets held in regulated institutions.

A key advantage of the onchain implementation is the removal of trading hour restrictions. Unlike traditional stock markets, these tokenized versions can be traded continuously throughout the day and night, giving users access to price movements at all times. Additionally, the tokens can be held in standard cryptocurrency wallets, providing users with full custody over their holdings.

With Chainlink’s price data flowing into DeFi protocols, these tokenized stocks can now serve as collateral for loans on lending platforms or be supplied to decentralized exchanges to earn yields. Base indicated that additional tokenized stocks would launch in the coming weeks, suggesting a phased expansion of available equity options.

A Rapidly Expanding Market

The launch arrives as tokenized equities are experiencing rapid growth. According to data from RWA.xyz, the total market capitalization of tokenized stocks has reached approximately $2.48 billion, reflecting a 5.2% increase over the previous month. Monthly transfer volume has climbed to $27.28 billion, with the number of individual holders exceeding 2.1 million.

This momentum reflects growing institutional and retail interest in bridging traditional finance and blockchain. Tokenized securities offer enhanced liquidity, reduced settlement times, and 24/7 tradability compared to conventional stock markets. The convergence of major blockchain infrastructure providers like Coinbase and Chainlink on this sector suggests tokenized equities will continue attracting capital and reshaping how global markets access and trade assets.

The success of onchain equities could accelerate broader adoption of real-world assets across blockchain networks, potentially benefiting the entire cryptocurrency ecosystem and the platforms supporting asset tokenization.

Source: Coinbase, via Cointelegraph. Not financial advice.