Even though US stock markets close late at night, global investment demand never sleeps. As of December 2025, Gate, the world’s leading crypto asset trading platform, has introduced two innovative trading zones—xStocks and Ondo—offering users a wide range of tokenized stocks and ETFs.
These tokenized assets map shares of top global companies like Tesla, Apple, and Nvidia onto the blockchain, backed 1:1 by the underlying stocks. This allows users to invest with USDT, trading these assets just like cryptocurrencies, and enjoy 24/7, borderless access to global markets.
01 Stock Tokens: Bridging Crypto and Traditional Finance
Traditional stock trading is limited by time zones, geography, and complex procedures. The emergence of stock tokens is breaking down these barriers.
A stock token is a crypto asset generated by mapping the price of a real-world listed company’s stock or ETF onto the blockchain. Each token is fully collateralized by the corresponding underlying stock, and its price is pegged to the real asset.
For investors, this is a game-changer. There’s no need to open overseas brokerage accounts or worry about location and traditional market hours (typically limited to certain weekday periods). With just a Gate account and USDT, you can invest in shares of leading global companies.
Unlike traditional stocks—which can only be traded during specific hours, must be purchased in whole shares, and are subject to various national KYC policies—tokenized stocks support 24/7 trading, fractional purchases, and free on-chain transfers. This dramatically lowers the barriers to global investing.
02 xStocks Zone: Round-the-Clock Spot and Perpetual Trading
Gate’s xStocks is a product launched in partnership with asset tokenization firm Backed Finance, focusing on flexible, high-liquidity trading.
The zone officially launched in July 2025, initially supporting eight highly sought-after tech stock tokens. These tokens are deployed on high-performance blockchains like Solana, enabling fast on-chain transfers.
According to official sources, the first batch of tokens includes COINX (Coinbase), NVDAX (Nvidia), AAPLX (Apple), TSLAX (Tesla), as well as METAX (Meta), GOOGLX (Google), CRCLX (Circle), and HOODX (Robinhood).
The standout feature of xStocks is its "spot + perpetual contracts" one-stop trading experience.
- Spot trading: Users can buy and hold these tokenized stocks directly with USDT, for long-term investment or short-term trading.
- Perpetual contract trading: The platform offers up to 10x leverage, allowing users to go long or short, meeting the needs of strategy-driven traders.
Additionally, Gate has created an Alpha trading area for professional traders, offering more diversified assets such as MicroStrategy (MSTRx) and S&P 500 ETF (SPYx), with lower slippage and faster matching speeds.
03 Ondo Zone: Compliance and Total Return Exposure
About two months after xStocks launched, Gate introduced the Ondo zone in September 2025, in collaboration with Ondo Global Markets—another line of tokenized asset products.
The Ondo zone brought in a broader selection of 26 tokenized assets, including tech giants like Apple (AAPLON), Microsoft (MSFTON), and Nvidia (NVDAON), and for the first time, mainstream ETFs such as SPYON (tracking the S&P 500 Index) and QQQON (tracking the Nasdaq 100 Index).
Compared to xStocks, a key differentiator for Ondo products is their "total return exposure" mechanism. This means the price of Ondo tokens reflects not only the underlying stock’s price movements but also automatically reinvests dividend income (after deducting relevant taxes), providing long-term holders with a more complete equity economic benefit.
Another feature is that minting and redemption are synchronized with traditional market hours (24/5), but token holders can still enjoy 24/7 freedom of on-chain transfers.
04 Core Comparison of the Two Trading Zones
To help you better understand the features of Gate’s two stock token services, here’s a core comparison:
| Feature | xStocks Zone | Ondo Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Launch Date | July 2025 | September 2025 |
| Key Partner | Backed Finance | Ondo Global Markets |
| Main Asset Types | Popular tech company stock tokens | Stock + ETF tokens |
| Representative Assets | COINX, NVDAX, AAPLX, TSLAX, etc. | AAPLON, TSLAON, SPYON, QQQON, etc. |
| Trading Types | Spot, perpetual contracts, Alpha trading | Spot trading |
| Core Features | Supports leveraged contracts, 24/7 trading | Total return exposure with dividend reinvestment |
05 How to Start Trading Stock Tokens on Gate?
Trading stock tokens on Gate is very similar to trading cryptocurrencies, with virtually no learning curve for crypto-native users.
The process can be summarized in four steps: create an account, deposit USDT, select your trading asset, and manage your holdings.
First, register on Gate’s website or app and complete the required identity verification (KYC). Next, deposit USDT into your Gate wallet—this is the primary settlement currency for stock token trading on the platform.
Then, navigate to the "xStocks" or "Ondo" zone on the trading page and search for the asset you want to trade (such as AAPLX or AAPLON). You can place market or limit orders for spot trading. In the xStocks zone, you can also switch to the "Contracts" interface for leveraged trades.
Once your trade is complete, the tokenized assets will be stored in your Gate wallet. You can view your holdings, monitor prices, or take further actions at any time.
Gate provides clear operational guidance for users trading via both the web platform and mobile app.
Looking Ahead
When you buy a batch of AAPLX on your phone at 3 a.m., and the numbers on your screen move in sync with Apple’s share price on the New York Stock Exchange, the boundaries of the financial world are quietly dissolving in the digital tide.
Gate’s xStocks and Ondo zones serve as two meticulously crafted bridges—one connecting the dynamic, innovative crypto economy, the other reaching into the robust, expansive realm of global traditional capital markets.
