Backed, a company specializing in real-world asset (RWA) tokenization, has announced the launch of five new tokenized equities. These tokens represent stocks of major companies, offering non-U.S. investors exposure to these assets via blockchain technology. The newly introduced tokens include bMSFT (Microsoft), bGME (GameStop), bMSTR (Microstrategy), bTSLA (Tesla), and bGOOGL (Alphabet Class A). Fully backed by the underlying stocks, these tokens allow round-the-clock trading on blockchain platforms.
Bridging Traditional Finance and Blockchain
Bernardo Quintao, head of business development at Backed, stated: “Our latest additions, including bMSFT, bGME, bMSTR, bTSLA, and bGOOGL, represent our commitment to bridging traditional finance with the innovative world of blockchain.” He added that this marks a major step toward democratizing financial markets, empowering investors with greater flexibility and control over their assets. By issuing tokenized versions of popular stocks, Backed aims to enable on-chain trading and self-custody for a global audience.
In addition to equities, Backed offers tokenized corporate and government bonds, such as T-bills. Notably, the Arbitrum DAO recently selected Backed’s bIB01 token for a portion of its treasury diversification, signaling institutional interest in the platform.
How Tokenization Works
The tokens are ERC-20 standard on the Ethereum blockchain, each representing one share of the underlying stock. Holders do not legally own the stock itself, but the token’s value is pegged to the stock price. Backed asserts that the underlying stocks are held by a regulated custodian and subject to regular audits. For non-U.S. investors, this structure bypasses traditional brokerage limitations, providing easier access to popular U.S. equities.
Market Impact and Trends
Backed’s move is part of a broader trend integrating traditional financial assets with blockchain to create a more interconnected and flexible financial ecosystem. As the RWA tokenization space matures, more projects are exploring tokenized stocks, bonds, and even commodities. This lowers investment barriers, enables 24-hour trading, and attracts global liquidity. However, regulatory risks remain a key challenge, especially within the U.S. Backed explicitly restricts its offerings to non-U.S. investors to comply with securities laws.
“This is a major step towards democratizing financial markets and empowering investors with greater flexibility and control over their assets.” — Bernardo Quintao
With institutions like Arbitrum DAO adopting tokenized products, confidence in RWA is growing. Tokenized equities could become a vital bridge between traditional stock markets and the crypto world in the near future.