Bitmex Pushes Into 24/7 Stock Perps As Tokenized Equities Heat Up (2026)
BitMEX is rolling out 24/7 Equity Perps that use crypto as collateral for exposure to major US stocks and indexes, as exchanges from Bitget to Kraken race to bring equities onchain.
BitMEX is expanding beyond crypto-native markets with the launch of Equity Perps, a new line of perpetual swap contracts that provide 24/7, crypto‑collateralized exposure to major US stocks and indexes like Apple, Tesla, Nvidia, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq, according to a press release shared with Cointelegraph.
The product mirrors the role perpetual swaps played in reshaping crypto markets with non-expiring, funding‑rate‑based, highly leveraged exposure — now applied to equities that have traditionally been confined to limited market hours.
The move comes as onchain access to equities is showing signs of traction. Bitget recently reported that cumulative spot trading volume for tokenized stocks on its platform had surpassed $1 billion, with roughly 95% of that volume generated in December alone, driven in part by surging demand for gold and silver-linked products as precious metals hit record highs in traditional markets.
Bitget CEO Gracy Chen told Cointelegraph, “December’s surge went hand in hand with the US equities, where AI narratives and renewed tech enthusiasm created ideal conditions for active trading.”
Related: BitMEX CEO explains how perpetual swaps test altcoin value
At the same time, Kraken’s xStocks tokenized equities surpassed $10 billion in combined centralized and decentralized exchange transaction volume, and Coinbase is integrating stocks, prediction markets and tokenized assets, highlighting a broader thesis that equities, ETFs and commodities will increasingly trade with crypto‑style liquidity and availability.
“For us, the $1 billion is about validating user demand for onchain access to traditional assets,” said Chen. “Coinbase and Kraken are both moving decisively in this direction, which hints at the narrative that tokenized equities are becoming a core market layer rather than a peripheral feature.”
Recent Gallup data shows Gen Z adults in the US are significantly less likely than Boomers to own individual stocks, as they gravitate toward speculative, tech, and crypto names, and BitMEX is targeting this cohort.
“We find that younger investors want to take charge of their own investments, whilst having the flexibility to trade with leverage during the most convenient time of their choosing,” Stephan Lutz, CEO of BitMEX, told Cointelegraph.
Source: CoinTelegraph
