Bybit Launches U.S. Stock Trading: Access 1,000+ Equities and ETFs via USDC

Bybit has integrated more than 1,000 U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs into its platform, allowing eligible users to trade traditional equities using the USDC stablecoin. This move signals a significant convergence between digital assets and traditional finance, enabling fintech users to manage crypto and equity positions within a single, unified trading environment.

What was announced

The new offering provides access to a wide range of U.S. equities, including major technology and industrial names such as Apple (AAPL), NVIDIA (NVDA), Tesla (TSLA), and Micron Technology (MU), alongside the Invesco QQQ ETF. This expansion moves Bybit beyond its core digital asset services, positioning it as a multi-asset platform where traditional market instruments sit alongside crypto spot and derivatives trading.

The service is designed for eligible users in permitted jurisdictions who have completed necessary KYC verification. A key technical feature of the launch is the use of USDC for funding and settlement, allowing users to purchase stocks directly from their existing accounts. Unlike many crypto-adjacent equity products that rely on price derivatives or synthetic instruments, this system provides users with a direct economic interest in the underlying securities. Orders are routed through a regulated brokerage infrastructure and executed via Alpaca, a U.S. self-clearing broker-dealer that also provides custody for the underlying assets.

At launch, the platform supports fractional shares for eligible securities and operates on a zero-commission model for purchases and sales. Trading is available 24/5, covering U.S. pre-market, regular, and after-hours sessions. Holders of these stocks are eligible for economic benefits, including cash and stock dividends. Cash dividends are automatically converted from USD to USDC and credited to the user’s Unified Trading Account (UTA). While stock splits and dividends are supported immediately, the company has indicated that voting rights are intended for a future phase of the rollout.

"Stocks are an important part of our evolution into The New Financial Platform. Financial markets have long been separated across different products and platforms, but users increasingly expect a more connected experience. With stocks now available through Bybit, we are doing more than adding another asset class. We are giving people broader access to financial markets and greater freedom to pursue opportunities."

Ben Zhou, Co-founder and CEO of Bybit.

The companies involved

Bybit describes itself as a "New Financial Platform" and currently serves more than 80 million users globally. Since its inception, the firm has grown from a specialized crypto derivatives exchange into a broad ecosystem offering spot trading, tokenized equities, and TradFi perpetuals. It has become a significant fixture in the digital asset market, with its Unified Trading Account (UTA) serving as a central hub for various financial activities. FF News has tracked the company’s development through 94 previous reports, noting its increasing focus on bridging the gap between decentralized and centralized finance.

Alpaca, the partner powering the brokerage and custody side of this launch, is a U.S. self-clearing broker-dealer known for its "agent-first" infrastructure. The company provides the API-driven backbone that allows non-traditional financial platforms to offer stock trading to their global user bases. Alpaca has established itself as a leader in the embedded finance space, enabling fintechs to integrate U.S. market access without building their own clearing infrastructure from scratch. FF News has covered Alpaca’s activities across 23 previous stories, highlighting its role in the global expansion of retail trading access.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has closely followed the trend of crypto platforms integrating traditional financial instruments. Recently, we reported on how Bybit and Franklin Templeton Bridge TradFi and Crypto with Tokenized Collateral, a move that similarly aimed to bring institutional-grade traditional assets into the crypto ecosystem. This follows a broader industry push toward real-world asset (RWA) integration, as seen when Mantle Hits All-Time Highs with $476M in Tokenized Real-World Assets.

On the infrastructure side, we previously covered how Alpaca Secures MAS In-Principle Approval for Singapore Expansion, demonstrating the broker's commitment to regulatory compliance as it scales its global footprint. We also noted industry-wide efforts to standardize these offerings, such as when Bullish and Equiniti Launch Coalition to Scale Issuer-Sponsored Tokenized Securities.

What this means

The launch of U.S. stock trading on a major crypto exchange represents a direct challenge to traditional retail brokerages and "neo-brokers." By allowing USDC to serve as the primary vehicle for equity investment, Bybit is effectively turning the stablecoin into a global bridge for capital, bypassing the friction of traditional currency conversion for international investors. This move places immense pressure on crypto-only exchanges to diversify their product suites or risk losing users to "all-in-one" platforms. Furthermore, the use of a U.S. self-clearing partner like Alpaca suggests a maturing regulatory approach, though the sector still faces questions regarding how cross-border equity access will be viewed by various national regulators as the lines between crypto and TradFi continue to blur.