NEAR adds 20 tokenized US stocks and ETFs via Ondo

NEAR has partnered with Ondo Finance to give eligible users access to 20 tokenized U.S. stocks, exchange-traded funds, and commodity-linked products through near.com and NEAR Intents.

Ondo Finance said the integration would let eligible near.com users exchange supported crypto assets for tokenized securities while keeping the entire process within one account. Availability will depend on each user’s location and compliance with the platform’s eligibility requirements.

NEAR users can access 20 Ondo tokenized assets

Rather than limiting the service to crypto-native assets, the first release will provide tokenized exposure to several of the largest U.S.-listed companies. Tesla, Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon are among the initial stocks named by the companies.

The selection also includes the Invesco QQQ Trust, which tracks the Nasdaq-100, and precious-metals funds such as the iShares Silver Trust and iShares Gold Trust. QQQ, SLV, and IAU trade on U.S. exchanges, allowing the integration to cover technology stocks, a major equity index, and commodity-linked products.

Users can purchase the tokens with supported assets already held in their near.com accounts. Bitcoin and USDC are among the funding options, removing the need to first move the assets to a traditional brokerage account. After completing a purchase, users can hold the tokenized product or exchange it back into USDC or another supported crypto asset.

“Bringing financial markets onchain should give people more control over their money and more choice in how they transact,” said Alex Shevchenko, CEO of Defuse Labs, the developer behind NEAR Intents.

Access will also extend beyond near.com. Wallets, decentralized finance protocols and applications connected to NEAR Intents can route eligible users toward Ondo Stocks, although each participating service may apply its own interface and compliance procedures.

NEAR Intents handles routing across 30-plus chains

Instead of requiring users to choose bridges and transaction paths manually, NEAR Intents allows them to state the result they want. Independent solvers then compete to complete the request by finding and executing a route between the relevant networks and assets.

The system connects more than 30 blockchains, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, NEAR, Tron and BNB Chain. A user holding an asset on one supported network can therefore request a tokenized security without manually completing every transfer involved in the transaction.

NEAR has also developed a private version of the system for financial transactions. In September, the protocol crossed $70 million in confidential total value locked, triggering the first snapshot for an incentive program tied to Confidential Intents.

Confidential Intents routes transactions through a private NEAR shard, according to the project. NEAR says the design keeps transactions away from public mempools and can reduce exposure to front-running, strategy leaks, and certain forms of maximal extractable value.

Ondo Stocks will use the standard cross-chain distribution system described in the latest announcement. The partners did not state that purchases of the 20 tokenized assets would receive the privacy functions offered by Confidential Intents.

“Our goal is simple: investors should be able to reach these assets from the networks and accounts where they already hold their capital,” said Armand Khatri, head of ecosystem at Ondo Finance.

Ondo expands distribution for its tokenized securities

The NEAR agreement adds another distribution channel for a platform that has already deployed tokenized securities on Ethereum, Solana and BNB Chain. According to Ondo, its securities platform holds more than $1 billion in total value locked and has processed over $26 billion in cumulative trading volume.

In June, Ondo connected 35 assets to Hyperliquid’s HyperEVM through infrastructure built with LayerZero. The supported products included tokens linked to SPY, QQQ, Nvidia, Tesla, Alphabet, Netflix, and Alibaba, giving HyperEVM applications access to stock and ETF exposure.

Another LayerZero-based product had previously allowed users to move more than 100 tokenized stocks and ETFs between Ethereum and BNB Chain. NEAR Intents takes a different route by connecting users and applications across its network of solvers rather than asking them to transfer a token through a dedicated bridge.

Ondo has also sought regulatory clearance to bring parts of its tokenized securities business into the United States. The company asked the SEC to permit registered on-chain distribution of securities through Ethereum and other public blockchains.

U.S. users remain restricted from Ondo Stocks

Although the underlying shares and ETFs are listed in the United States, Ondo’s product disclosures state that Ondo Stocks have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933. The tokens may not be offered or sold in the United States or to U.S. persons unless they are registered or qualify for an exemption.

Eligibility rules also differ elsewhere. Ondo’s disclosures say that users in jurisdictions including the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Singapore may need to qualify as professional clients or investors before gaining access.

The restriction separates the NEAR integration from the SEC’s new five-year pathway for tokenized National Market System stocks. As crypto.news previously reported, products admitted under the exemption must carry the same economic, voting, dividend, and liquidation rights as the corresponding conventional shares. Tokens offering only synthetic price exposure do not qualify.

Under the SEC order, an issuer can object when an unrelated party seeks to tokenize its stock. Approved trading venues must also stop trading a tokenized security when the underlying stock is halted, while limits apply to the number of supported symbols and their trading volume.

Separate from the offshore Ondo Stocks service, Ondo’s U.S.-registered broker-dealer subsidiary, Oasis Pro Markets, has received FINRA authorizations connected to tokenized equities and funds. Oasis Pro Markets is registered with the SEC as a broker-dealer and alternative trading system, while Oasis Pro TA operates as a registered transfer agent.

Oasis Pro Markets recently joined DTCC’s Fund/SERV network, which connects broker-dealers and other financial firms with fund companies for order processing, settlement, and recordkeeping. The membership gives the company standardized links to mutual fund providers, wealth platforms, and other financial service firms using DTCC infrastructure.