Coinbase Global Inc. (NASDAQ:COIN) Chief Executive Brian Armstrong says tokenized stocks could fundamentally reshape global investing, pointing to a key metric to support his view.
Tokenized Stocks Aim to Unlock Global Equity Access
“There’s actually about four billion people in the world today who are unbrokered,” Armstrong said in an episode of Sourcery with Molly O’Shea that aired on Saturday. “Half the planet basically can’t get access to any high-quality U.S. companies to invest in. They’re stuck holding cash and lower-quality investments.”
“That’s going to totally change the world,” Armstrong said of the shift to tokenized equities on modern financial rails.
Unlike prior tokenized-equity products, which Armstrong described as “a derivative or a synthetic” that don’t convey true ownership, Coinbase’s offering is backed one-to-one by the underlying stock. “That’s what was powerful about stablecoins,” Armstrong said, drawing a direct parallel to USDC (CRYPTO: USDC), saying the same trust model is now being applied to equities to expand access to global markets.
Armstrong pointed to the pending Clarity Act, which he described as "right on the horizon," as the next crypto bill expected to speed up adoption of tokenized equities, similar to how the Genius Act supported stablecoins.
“If you survey Americans, something like 83% of them say that the financial system is not currently working for them,” Armstrong said, highlighting that the access issue extends beyond emerging markets.
Recent market data also supports Armstrong’s point, indicating tokenized stock trading volumes have reached record levels, signaling growing institutional and retail interest in blockchain-based equity exposure.
Photo Courtesy: Shutterstock By Thrive Studios ID
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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