Uphold has launched U.S. stock and exchange-traded fund trading inside its crypto platform, giving eligible U.S. customers access to more than 4,000 listed securities.
Summary
- Uphold now lets U.S. customers trade directly between supported cryptocurrencies and over 4,000 listed securities.
- Crypto-funded stock purchases convert assets into dollars before securities trades execute through Uphold’s registered broker-dealer.
- The platform plans extended 24/5 trading as crypto companies increasingly compete across traditional financial markets.
Users can move from supported cryptocurrencies into stocks or ETFs through one transaction flow inside the app.The trade does not move directly from cryptocurrency into shares at the settlement level. Uphold converts the selected crypto into U.S. dollars first, then transfers the proceeds to the customer’s brokerage account for the securities purchase.
Uphold combines crypto and equities in one trading flow
Uphold says customers can buy supported stocks and ETFs with either U.S. dollars or cryptocurrency. The platform also supports fractional shares where available, allowing eligible investors to start with as little as $5, subject to account approval and order requirements. Uphold plans to expand the service to 24-hour trading on weekdays.
Nancy Beaton, president of Uphold U.S., said, “People want one app for all of their investing – crypto included.” She said the service aims to remove the need for users to move funds between separate crypto and brokerage platforms before buying equities.
Separate affiliated entities handle different parts of the transaction. Uphold HQ converts cryptocurrency into dollars, while Uphold Securities executes the stock or ETF order. Uphold Securities is registered with the SEC as a broker-dealer and is a FINRA and SIPC member.
Uphold’s support materials say stock and ETF purchases carry no trading commission. Standard Uphold fees still apply when users convert cryptocurrency into U.S. dollars, while regulatory fees apply when customers sell securities. Apex Clearing Corporation carries and clears the brokerage accounts.
Securities and crypto remain legally separate
The new service brings both asset classes into one interface, but their legal protections remain separate. SIPC may protect securities held in an Uphold Securities brokerage account if the broker-dealer fails, subject to applicable limits. It does not cover losses caused by falling market prices.
Crypto assets sit outside the securities brokerage account and do not receive SIPC protection. This separation also explains why crypto-funded stock purchases move through dollars before the brokerage transaction takes place.
The structure follows a wider shift among crypto companies expanding into regulated securities markets. Kraken added U.S. stock and ETF trading in 2025 through Kraken Securities, giving customers access to traditional investments alongside cryptocurrencies.
Binance’s Direct Stocks service passed $1 billion in user-held U.S. equities within its first month after launching access to more than 7,000 stocks and ETFs for eligible users.
Crypto platforms broaden their investment products
Uphold’s launch differs from tokenized equity products that represent stocks on blockchain networks. Customers using the new service buy securities through a registered broker-dealer rather than receiving blockchain tokens that track or represent an underlying share.
That distinction matters as crypto companies build different routes into equity markets. As crypto.news previously reported, Robinhood has expanded tokenized stocks through its blockchain strategy, while Kraken also offers tokenized equities in some markets. Uphold’s U.S. service instead uses a conventional brokerage structure while keeping the funding experience connected to crypto.
For users, the main change is the ability to move between the two asset classes without manually selling crypto, withdrawing dollars and funding a separate brokerage account. The platform handles those steps within one order flow, although the transaction still passes through U.S. dollars and separate regulated entities.
Uphold also plans longer trading hours. Extended sessions would give customers more time to trade outside standard market hours. The company says it ultimately plans to offer access 24 hours a day on weekdays.
Uphold expands its multi-asset strategy
The equities launch extends Uphold’s broader approach of offering several asset classes within one platform. The company connects to more than 30 trading venues and provides crypto services in more than 140 countries, although the new securities service applies to eligible U.S. customers.
Uphold says it does not lend customer assets and publishes its assets and liabilities through a transparency system. Its direct-conversion model now extends to crypto-funded equity purchases.
The launch adds another platform combining crypto and traditional investments in one app, while affiliated entities keep execution and custody separate. The broader market now includes several models, ranging from conventional regulated brokerage services to blockchain-based tokenized stocks.
Eligible customers can choose cryptocurrency as the funding source for a stock purchase, but Uphold converts that asset into dollars before Uphold Securities completes the equity trade. The new service therefore shortens the user journey without changing the underlying separation between crypto transactions and regulated securities trading.
