eToro’s Bold Move: Tokenizing U.S. Stocks on Ethereum to Disrupt Traditional Finance

Wall Street’s paper-based dinosaurs just got a blockchain wake-up call. eToro—the social trading platform that’s been flirting with crypto for years—is diving headfirst into Ethereum-based stock tokenization. No more dusty paper certificates or T+2 settlements—just 24/7 programmable equity trading.

The Play: Democratize (and Disrupt

By anchoring U.S. stocks to Ethereum’s rails, eToro’s cutting out middlemen like DTCC while giving retail traders near-instant exposure. Imagine buying fractional Tesla shares during Asian market hours—or using them as DeFi collateral. The catch? Regulatory minefields ahead.

Why This Stings Legacy Finance

Tokenization slashes settlement times from days to minutes while unlocking liquidity. JPMorgan’s blockchain team will downplay it publicly… while scrambling to copy the model. Bonus jab: Goldman Sachs still thinks ‘blockchain’ is their IT guy’s WiFi password.

The Bottom Line

If eToro pulls this off, it’s not just stocks getting upgraded—it’s the entire plumbing of global markets. Either way, the suits won’t know what hit them.