Glider and Ondo Finance have jointly introduced a platform enabling retail investors to create and automate personalized portfolios of tokenized US equities. The service offers direct exposure to real-world stock assets without requiring users to hold a brokerage account, manage a crypto wallet, pay gas fees, or execute transactions manually. The announcement marks a notable step in the broader effort to bring traditional financial assets onto blockchain infrastructure.
Unlike conventional exchange-traded funds, which package assets into fixed, pooled products, the new platform allows users to construct index-like baskets of onchain stocks with custom weightings. Glider co-founder and CEO Brian Huang told Cointelegraph that the system automatically executes and rebalances these portfolios, removing the need for users to manage individual trades. Huang noted that the model is also designed to sidestep the liquidity constraints that have hampered earlier tokenized ETF offerings.
Tokenized stocks on Ondo’s platform are built to mirror the price of their underlying shares and can be transferred and traded onchain. A key feature is the ability to trade these assets beyond standard market hours, offering flexibility not typically available through traditional brokerages. Glider handles portfolio construction and ongoing rebalancing without requiring manual input from users.
The initial rollout centers on tokenized US equities, though the companies plan to expand into additional asset classes, including commodities. Future features are also expected to allow users to lend their positions and generate yield on holdings. An Ondo spokesperson confirmed the platform is not currently available to users in the United States, but noted that the company holds several SEC registrations, which could position it for a domestic launch at a later date.
The launch arrives as the tokenized real-world asset sector experiences rapid growth. Data from RWA.xyz shows the total value of tokenized real-world assets has climbed to approximately $26.5 billion, up from around $7.5 billion at the same point last year. Of those onchain assets, roughly $908.5 million are tokenized stocks, reflecting rising institutional and retail interest in the space.
Crypto exchange-traded products have also expanded significantly over the same period, moving beyond spot Bitcoin and Ether funds toward more complex and actively managed structures. In February, crypto ETP issuer 21Shares launched a product giving European investors exposure to a preferred stock issued by Strategy, the largest public corporate holder of Bitcoin. The 21Shares Strategy Yield ETP is available to both institutional and retail investors and offers a dividend linked to Strategy’s Bitcoin holdings.
21Shares president Duncan Moir said the product improves access to Strategy’s STRC preferred stock, which is not widely available or easily cross-listed, while broadening distribution and liquidity through the ETP structure. He added that the format simplifies tax treatment for European investors by handling reporting and withholding at the product level. The product reflects a wider industry trend toward packaging previously inaccessible assets into regulated, tradeable wrappers.
Earlier this month, BlackRock extended its crypto product lineup with a Nasdaq-listed fund tied to Ethereum staking. The iShares Staked Ethereum Trust ETF provides spot Ether exposure while generating potential monthly income by staking a portion of its assets. Despite growing demand for more complex crypto structures, BlackRock’s head of digital assets, Robert Mitchnick, indicated the firm intends to remain cautious about further expanding its crypto ETF offerings.
Originally reported by CoinTelegraph.
