BNB Chain has become the first blockchain to surpass $1 billion in tokenized stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), as demand for on-chain versions of traditional financial assets continues to grow. Tokenized stocks and ETFs are blockchain-based representations of conventional equities and funds that can be held and transferred on-chain, and the milestone marks the first time a single network's segment has reached that scale. Crossing the threshold in 2026 reflects how quickly tokenized equities have moved from a niche experiment to a measurable part of on-chain finance.

According to data from Token Terminal, tokenized stocks and ETFs on BNB Chain reached about $1.1 billion, representing roughly 30% of a broader market worth $3.7 billion. Ethereum ranked second with about $828 million, or 22% of the market, while Solana held about $738 million, or 20%, according to publicly available data. Taken together, the three networks account for roughly 72% of the segment, with the remainder spread across smaller chains.

Market-wide, the total capitalization of tokenized stocks and ETFs rose about 17% in September 2026 to $3.35 billion, up from $2.87 billion in August 2026, according to Token Terminal data. Binance Research, drawing on RWA.xyz data, put the tokenized-stock market above $3 billion in late September 2026. The two trackers differ slightly on totals, but both place the market above $3 billion at the close of the third quarter.

Beyond market value, BNB Chain also led by the number of addresses holding tokenized stocks. About 1.8 million addresses on the network held such assets, representing 45% of the total, according to Binance Research. The network hosts products including Binance bStocks and tokenized securities issued through Ondo Global Markets. As with on-chain metrics generally, address counts approximate participation rather than exact user numbers, since one address does not necessarily correspond to one holder.

The current figures mark a sharp shift from the start of the year. Tokenized stocks and ETFs have expanded more than 5x from about $719 million in January 2026, when BNB Chain accounted for roughly 13% of the market, according to Token Terminal data. BNB Chain's share more than doubled over that span, a shift in the market's composition that took place within a single year.

The rise comes as tokenized equities become a larger part of on-chain trading activity. Binance Research said tokenized-stock transfers exceeded $100 billion in the third quarter of 2026, a sharp increase from about $6 billion in the first quarter of the year, while the segment's share of decentralized exchange activity averaged 11% in September 2026. The volume figures point to active on-chain circulation of tokenized equities rather than static holdings alone.

The growth is also unfolding alongside regulatory changes. In September 2026, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) introduced a five-year exemption for certain platforms trading tokenized stocks. The move also requires eligible tokenized securities to provide the same shareholder rights as traditional shares. For a segment now concentrated among a small group of leading networks, the specifics of that framework — which platforms qualify and how shareholder rights are delivered for tokenized positions — are among the details to watch as it takes effect.

Source: BitcoinKE