Shares of Apple, Nvidia, Meta, and Alphabet are now issued on the Base network as B20 tokens as of Monday, August 25, 2026. Coinbase launched these tokenized stocks specifically for non-US users in eligible jurisdictions, opening the door for these high-value assets to enter the decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem without market closing hours.
These B20 tokens represent a direct 1:1 claim on the underlying shares. The physical shares are custodied by Alpaca, a regulated broker operating under the strict supervision of the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM). Coinbase had actually announced this launch plan since June 2026 with an initial target release in July, before finally being ready for a full launch this month. Coinbase’s move follows a similar step from its competitor, Robinhood, which released tokenized stock products on the Robinhood Chain network last month.
More Than Just Buying and Holding
The appeal of this initiative lies in the assets’ flexibility within DeFi. Holders do not just hold a passive coin, but can trade fractional shares on the Aerodrome decentralized exchange or add them to liquidity pools 24 hours a day. These tokens can also be stored in their respective self-custody wallets or directly used as loan collateral to unlock liquidity in the Aave protocol.
For all of this utility to run smoothly, prices must always be accurate on the blockchain. Coinbase specifically appointed Chainlink Data Feeds as the real-time price provider to support DeFi integration. On the operational side, the B20 token standard is designed to automatically process corporate actions such as dividend distributions and stock splits, without changing users’ token balances or disrupting their debt positions in various decentralized applications.
A Piece of the $2.48 Billion Pie
Coinbase’s move aligns with the growing adoption figures in the tokenization sector. The total value of tokenized stocks across various market segments now reaches $2.48 billion, recording a 5.2% increase in the last 30 days. Its liquidity also flows smoothly, with monthly transfer volume reaching $27.28 billion, spread across holder wallets that now exceed 2.1 million.
Coinbase confirmed that these four pioneering stocks are just the beginning. They will add new stocks and release more real-world assets (RWA) to the Base network in the coming weeks. For investors outside the United States, this move removes the outdated limitations of conventional exchanges. They are now free to adjust portfolio positions containing both on-chain and traditional assets on the spot, without having to wait for the Wall Street opening bell the next morning.
Reported by Cointelegraph.
Read also: What Is DeFi (Decentralized Finance)?
Disclaimer: This article is for informational and educational purposes only, not financial advice. Cryptocurrency assets are highly volatile and carry significant risk. Always do your own research (DYOR) and never invest more than you can afford to lose.
