March 03, 2026 – Abu Dhabi’s financial watchdog has approved Ondo Finance’s tokenized stocks for regulated trading on Binance. The decision marks a landmark moment for tokenized securities in the Middle East. It is the first time the Abu Dhabi Global Market has cleared such products under its framework.
The Financial Services Regulatory Authority authorized nine tokenized equities for Binance’s Multilateral Trading Facility. These include token versions of Apple, Amazon, Nvidia, Tesla, Microsoft, Alphabet,Meta, and Circle. The Invesco QQQ ETF also features on the approved list. Only non-U.S. investors can access these products.
Why It Matters
This approval gives Binance a compliant venue for equity-linked digital assets in the UAE. The exchange had shut down a similar offering nearly five years ago. Regulatory pressure in the UK and Germany forced that earlier retreat. The ADGM clearance now provides a clear legal pathway forward.
Ondo structures its products as equity-linked notes rather than direct token equivalents. This design ties each token to the performance of the underlying share. The firm reports over $11 billion in cumulative trading volume since launch. Its total value locked exceeds $600 million after less than six months of operations.
A Growing Market
The tokenized securities sector is attracting major financial players. Kraken, Robinhood, Nasdaq, and the New York Stock Exchange have all shown interest. Total market capitalization for tokenized stocks now exceeds $1 billion. Proponents argue that blockchain settlement can widen investor access globally.
Ondo also secured an EU-wide securities prospectus approval last year. That clearance enables public distribution across all EU member states. Combined with the Abu Dhabi decision, Ondo is building a multi-jurisdictional footprint.
The ADGM now positions itself as one of the first major financial hubs to formally regulate tokenized equity trading. For Binance, this represents a significant step toward institutional credibility in digital assets.
