Brief

Binance CEO says users want tokenized Asian stocks as crypto prices slump

At TOKEN2049 in Singapore, Binance chief Richard Teng outlined plans for tokenized Asian equities and AI‑driven trading amid a broader market shift.

By Felo News Desk · Published Tue, 13 Oct 2026 14:31:03 GMT

At the TOKEN2049 conference in Singapore, Binance chief executive Richard Teng told reporters that the exchange’s users are pressing for tokenized shares of the top ten companies in Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan and Brazil.

What happened

In 2026 Binance rolled out tokenized U.S. stocks and commodity derivatives, adding precious‑metal and oil contracts. The platform also launched pre‑IPO perpetual futures settled in USDT, allowing traders to speculate on private‑company valuations such as Anthropic. The move follows a sharp decline in cryptocurrency prices, with Bitcoin and other digital assets still far below the October 2025 peaks.

What the reports add

Fortune notes that Coinbase reported a Q2 2026 net loss of $359.5 million, its third consecutive quarterly loss, as transaction revenue fell. Other exchanges are broadening their offerings: OKX announced a joint venture with the Intercontinental Exchange to issue tokenized U.S. shares and is launching a new stable‑coin app. The article places Binance’s expansion in the context of a sector‑wide shift from single‑asset apps to platforms handling stocks, futures and prediction markets.

What was said

"We are weatherproofing ourselves," Teng said. "A lot of our users say: ‘Hey, I want to have exposure to, let’s say, the top 10 Hong Kong stocks, top 10 Korean counters, top 10 Taiwanese, Brazilian counters.’" He added, "The first 3% of [crypto] adopters didn’t need certainty, and they didn’t want certainty. But for crypto to go mainstream, we need not just retail investors, but also sophisticated institutions that want clear rules and regulations they can operate within." Teng also highlighted geographic constraints, stating, "Many people are still constrained by the geography that they are born in… If we tokenize U.S. stocks, these people can get exposure to companies around the world they may not have had access to previously." Later in the month Binance will launch Binance AI Pro, an AI‑powered trading assistant, which Teng described as a "great leveler" that will change the nature of trading.

How it came about

Binance’s push follows a broader industry trend toward multi‑asset platforms, exemplified by Coinbase’s recent addition of traditional stock trading and prediction markets. The shift is driven by falling crypto prices and a growing demand for regulated, diversified investment options.

Key facts

Binance introduced tokenized U.S. stocks and commodity derivatives in 2026. (fortune.com)
Binance launched pre‑IPO perpetual futures settled in USDT. (fortune.com)
Coinbase posted a Q2 2026 net loss of $359.5 million. (fortune.com)
OKX plans to offer tokenized U.S. shares via a joint venture with ICE. (fortune.com)
Binance will release an AI‑powered trading assistant, Binance AI Pro, later this month. (fortune.com)