What happened?
Telegram’s Wallet is launching tokenized U.S. stocks and ETFs through a partnership with Kraken and Backed, rolling out a “Stocks and ETFs” section starting in October. The initial launch will feature about 35 tokenized assets and the broader effort will include over 60 tokenized shares like Nvidia and MicroStrategy. Support is set to expand to Telegram’s self-custodial TON Wallet by late 2025, with the first phase prioritizing emerging markets.
Who does this affect?
Millions of Telegram users, especially in emerging markets where the rollout is focused, could get easier access to U.S. equities without leaving the app. Crypto traders, retail investors, TON Wallet holders, and the tokenization ecosystem (like Backed and Kraken) will be directly involved. Availability in the U.S and sanctioned regions is still unclear, so who can use it may vary by country.
Why does this matter?
Putting tokenized stocks into a mainstream messaging app lowers the barrier for retail investors and could drive big growth in tokenized finance and on-chain trading volumes. That added access may pressure traditional brokers, boost liquidity for popular names, and spark more competition between crypto-native services and legacy financial firms. Regulatory and compliance outcomes will shape market impact, since which regions get access and whether custody is custodial or self-custodial will influence flows and pricing.