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Who will emerge as the leader among the three driving forces of US stock tokenization? A detailed explanation of the differences between StableStocks, xStocks, and Robinhood.
Author: @BlazingKevin_, the Researcher at Movemaker
Under the expectations of "deregulation" that Trump may bring, the long-dormant tokenized stock sector is reigniting its fire in 2025 with a new look of RWA. Bringing the most liquid assets in the world—U.S. stocks—into the crypto industry, allowing crypto users worldwide to trade anytime and anywhere, is undoubtedly a grand and alluring narrative.
However, this road is not smooth. From the early concept of STOs to the synthetic asset experiments of DeFi Summer, and the brief attempts by FTX and Binance, the history of tokenized stocks is full of twists and turns. Now, with subtle changes in the regulatory environment, a new round of competition has begun.
In this competition, three forces are emerging, representing three distinctly different paths: the "dimensionality reduction" of internet brokerage giant Robinhood, the "open Lego" of DeFi native xStocks (issued by Backed Finance and distributed by Kraken, among others), and the "hybrid model" of the mysterious newcomer StableStocks, supported by institutions like Matrix Partners.
This article will delve into the three driving forces, explaining their legal core, business models, and key differences, as well as exploring who is most likely to emerge victorious in this high-risk game.
1. The Four Waves of Tokenized Stocks
To understand today's competitive landscape, it is necessary to review history. The development of tokenized stocks has roughly gone through four stages:
II. Current Market Landscape Overview
According to data from RWA.xyz, the total issuance of the current RWA stock market is approximately $374 million, but growth is slow. The market landscape exhibits characteristics of fragmentation:
It is against this backdrop that the entry of Robinhood, xStocks, and StableStocks has brought three more imaginative paradigms to the market.
Three, The Three Carriages - In-depth Deconstruction of Three Models
We will analyze these three major players from three dimensions: legal kernel, business model, and composability.
1. Robinhood: Derivative Contracts + B2C + Controlled Ecosystem
Of course, reality is not entirely optimistic. Top private equity firms are often well-funded, making it almost impossible to actively "invite retail investors in." This means that tokenization schemes must bypass traditional issuance logic to reach ordinary investors. However, this model also hides risks: after launching OpenAI-related tokens, Robinhood immediately issued a statement clarifying that it was not involved, which also exposes a problem — there may be a huge gap in information transparency and investor understanding in derivative models.
Compared to other platforms, Robinhood's approach is different from traditional on-chain securities attempts (such as Synthetix's synthetic assets or Polymarket's prediction markets). It does not emphasize the complete openness of DeFi, but instead aims to capture the market through a combination of "strong compliance + high user experience." Its logic resembles an extension of a fintech platform rather than a complete on-chain fundamentalism.
If regulation turns a blind eye or even gradually accepts it, Robinhood will take the lead in establishing a super gateway covering retail investors, compliance, and RWA, and may even become the first stop for retail investors in Europe and America to enter tokenized finance.
One-sentence comment: Robinhood's attempt is not simply about "putting stocks on the blockchain," but rather an experiment in reshaping the traditional derivatives distribution model using cryptographic technology. It uses blockchain to enhance product delivery and compliance efficiency, with goals that far exceed the crypto sphere itself, truly aiming at a redefinition of the entire global financial system.
2. xStocks: Asset-backed Tokens + B2B2C + Complete Composability
The approach of xStocks contrasts sharply with that of Robinhood. Robinhood's model resembles "the digitization of financial derivatives," relying on a controlled whitelist mechanism to lock in users; whereas xStocks actually puts real assets on the blockchain and maintains full interoperability with DeFi. This means it is inherently more aligned with the Web3 narrative of "open Legos," but it also has to bear the regulatory gray areas and risk spillover issues associated with an open environment.
Whether this model can succeed depends on two points:
Can deep liquidity be truly established. If tokenized assets are only issued in one direction, lacking sufficient counterparties and arbitrage mechanisms, then their market significance will be very limited.
Can long-term regulatory tolerance be achieved? The current SPV structure has legally achieved isolation, but the recognition of "tokenized securities" has not yet been unified among countries. Once regulatory conflicts arise, the ecosystem may experience significant fluctuations.
It is worth noting that the model of xStocks may inspire broader application scenarios. For example, it provides a replicable paradigm for "asset-backed tokens" beyond stablecoins, especially suitable for the tokenization of bonds, ETFs, and even art funds. Unlike the "controlled tokens" launched by a single exchange, it emphasizes the free combinability with DeFi modules, which injects new sources of liquidity into the entire crypto ecosystem.
One-sentence comment: xStocks is not reshaping the exchange but providing a new asset layer for DeFi. It attempts to bring the true and transparent value of traditional finance onto the blockchain and shape a new market ecology through open combinations. If Robinhood's direction is "business on-chain," then xStocks' logic is more like "assets on-chain."
3. StableStocks: Agency Holdings + B2C + In-Platform Combination Mechanism
From a more systematic perspective, the model link of StableStocks can be broken down into five key links:
StableStocks takes a "middle road"—not as closed as Robinhood, which only offers trading, nor as fully open as xStocks, which integrates with the entire DeFi Lego. Instead, it builds a semi-open system. For traditional financial investors, it provides a new way to enter the on-chain market; for crypto users, it offers a convenient entry point to blue-chip stocks like Tesla, Apple, and McDonald's. Its core selling point is:
One-sentence review: StableStocks is a middle ground that seeks to find a balance between the closed convenience of Robinhood and the open complexity of xStocks. It bets that what users want is a "DeFi-lite" experience - one that allows them to enjoy the enhanced returns of DeFi without having to bear all the risks and complexities of open DeFi.
Triangle Comparison: StableStocks vs xStocks vs Robinhood
IV. Insurmountable Structural Barriers
Despite the varying models, all stock tokenization schemes at this stage face several common structural obstacles that are difficult to resolve in the short term:
Conclusion: Which of the three models can win the future?
The outcome of this competition may not depend on whose legal framework is more clever, but rather on who can first create irreplaceable value for users.
Returning to the source, the so-called "on-chain US stocks" is still in the experimental phase, currently more like a financial packaging under regulatory gaps rather than a mature market tool. The nodes that can truly change the game rules are not about who first runs a proof of concept, but about who can deliver a complete trading system that integrates spot trading, short selling, leverage, and risk management on-chain. Only when the financial playability and functionality of on-chain stocks genuinely match or even surpass those of traditional Wall Street brokerages can this transformation be considered to have entered a substantial phase. As it stands, those pioneers have only just begun to put the wheels on the track, and the real race has yet to begin.
This article/blog is for reference only and represents the author's personal views, and does not represent the position of Movemaker. This article does not intend to provide: (i) investment advice or recommendations; (ii) offers or solicitations to buy, sell, or hold digital assets; or (iii) financial, accounting, legal, or tax advice. Holding digital assets, including stablecoins and NFTs, carries a high risk, with significant price volatility, and they may even become worthless. You should carefully consider whether trading or holding digital assets is suitable for you based on your financial situation. If you have specific situational questions, please consult your legal, tax, or investment advisor. The information provided in this article (including market data and statistics, if any) is for general reference only. Reasonable care has been taken in compiling this data and charts, but no responsibility is accepted for any factual inaccuracies or omissions expressed therein.