VALR Becomes First African Crypto Exchange to Launch Tokenized US Stock Trading
Africa’s largest crypto exchange VALR introduces xStocks, tokenized US equities for African investors. The platform offers Tesla, NVIDIA, and other major stocks as crypto tokens.
VALR becomes Africa's first exchange to offer tokenized US stocks including Tesla, NVIDIA, and Coinbase through xStocks platform.
The tokens provide 1:1 price exposure to real equities without ownership rights, tradeable against major cryptocurrencies and rand.
CEO emphasizes breaking financial barriers for previously excluded African users seeking global investment opportunities.
Africa’s largest crypto exchange by trade volume, VALR, has launched xStocks, a tokenized equities product allowing African users to gain exposure to US-listed companies. This landmark move makes VALR the first platform on the continent to integrate tokenized equities into its crypto trading suite.
The xStocks tokens, powered by Backed and launched in May 2025, mirror the prices of prominent US stocks and ETFs like Tesla, NVIDIA, Robinhood, Circle, and Coinbase, without granting ownership or voting rights. These tokens are 1:1-backed representations of real equities and can be traded on VALR’s Spot market against USDT, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and the South African rand.
xStocks <> VALR
We're excited to welcome @VALRdotcom to the xStocks Alliance, expanding our footprint with our first African exchange, available now to South African users, and soon the entire continent.
xStocks also supports Solana-based deposits and withdrawals, ensuring high-speed, low-fee transactions. This aligns with a growing global trend in tokenizing real-world assets (RWAs), following in the footsteps of platforms like Robinhood and Solana-native decentralized exchange Jupiter, which both initially listed US stocks in early July.
VALR CEO Emphasizes Financial Inclusion Goals
VALR CEO Farzam Ehsani highlighted the importance of xStocks in unlocking access to global financial assets for users previously excluded from such markets.
“The launch of xStocks on our platform represents a pivotal moment in advancing access to innovative products that brings choice and inclusion to people in South Africa, with a plan to make the product available to the continent and globally in the near future. By blending crypto and traditional finance, we are forging a financial system that brings down barriers and serves many more with unprecedented ease,” Ehsani said.
David Henderson, Head of Growth at Backed, also echoed this sentiment, stating: “We’re excited to have xStocks on VALR, marking another step in the xStocks mission to bring tokenised equities to users worldwide, […] We have seen incredible adoption for these assets, and now users from Africa will be able to access them on VALR, participating in tokenised capital markets.”
This development follows VALR’s July rollout of the USDPC token, a yield-bearing private credit asset, emphasizing the exchange’s portfolio diversification strategy.
Founded in 2018, VALR now serves over 1.5 million users and 1,400 institutional clients globally, with over $55 million in equity funding from backers like Pantera Capital and Coinbase Ventures.
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I’m a research analyst with experience supporting Web3 startups and financial organizations through data-driven insights and strategic analysis. My goal is to help organizations make smarter decisions by bridging the gap between traditional finance and blockchain innovation.
With a background in Economics, I bring a solid understanding of market dynamics, financial systems, and the broader economic forces shaping the crypto industry. I’m currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technologies at the University of Malta, where I’m expanding my expertise in decentralized systems, smart contracts, and real-world blockchain applications.
I’m especially interested in project evaluation, tokenomics, and ecosystem growth strategies, as these are areas where innovation can drive lasting impact. By combining my academic foundation with hands-on experience, I aim to provide meaningful insights that add value to both the financial and blockchain sectors.
