Gate Stock adds 1,000+ Hong Kong stocks tradeable with USDT, rivalling Binance’s equity push

Gate has added more than 1,000 Hong Kong-listed stocks to its trading platform, letting users buy equities with USDT and without a brokerage account, intensifying a direct race with Binance, which announced similar stock access for non-US users earlier this month.

The latest expansion enables investors to trade stocks listed on both the Main Board and the Growth Enterprise Market (GEM) of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange without opening a conventional brokerage account or converting funds into Hong Kong dollars.

The launch marks a significant step in the evolution of Gate Stock services as crypto exchanges increasingly compete to become one-stop financial platforms that combine digital assets with traditional investment products.

Among the companies available through the new offering are Tencent Holdings, HSBC Holdings, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL), China Mobile, Xiaomi, Meituan, BYD, Ping An Insurance, AIA Group, and Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing.

According to Gate, users can access Hong Kong equities through the same account infrastructure already used for cryptocurrency trading, with USDT balances transferred directly from existing platform wallets.

Gate extends its multi-market investment ecosystem

The Hong Kong rollout builds on Gate’s existing stock trading operations, which already provide access to more than 10,000 U.S.-listed stocks and exchange-traded funds.

Through a unified stock account, users can now manage both U.S. and Hong Kong equity positions from a single interface, eliminating many of the operational barriers associated with cross-border investing.

While trades are funded with USDT, stock prices, portfolio valuations, and profit-and-loss metrics are displayed in Hong Kong dollars to align with local market conventions.

Trading remains restricted to standard Hong Kong market hours.

Gate said the platform offers the same functionality available to U.S. equity traders, including order execution, portfolio monitoring, position management, asset tracking, and order history features.

The expansion strengthens the company’s broader vision for Gate Stock, which aims to merge traditional and digital finance within a single ecosystem.

In a statement accompanying the launch, Gate said it plans to continue adding new equity products and expand access to additional traditional financial instruments while preserving a streamlined account structure.

Crypto platforms intensify race into traditional equities

Gate’s latest move comes amid growing competition among cryptocurrency exchanges seeking a foothold in global stock markets.

Earlier this month, Binance revealed plans to offer eligible non-U.S. users access to more than 7,000 U.S. stocks and ETFs using cryptocurrencies including USDT, USDC, BNB, and other supported digital assets.

The exchange also announced plans to introduce tokenized equities, known as bStocks, on BNB Chain, enabling users to convert eligible shares into blockchain-based assets.

The broader industry trend reflects increasing demand from investors seeking round-the-clock access to financial markets through blockchain infrastructure.

“The tokenization of real-world assets is one of the clearest growth opportunities for the digital asset industry,” said Larry Fink in his 2024 annual letter to shareholders, arguing that tokenized securities could modernize settlement processes and expand market accessibility.

Meanwhile, digital asset firms continue to develop products that blur the line between conventional investing and decentralized finance.

Recently, Bitget Wallet expanded its DEX Aggregator API to support market-order trading for tokenized real-world assets, including tokenized stocks, allowing users to route crypto transactions directly into equity exposure through a single connection.

The growing adoption of tokenized securities suggests competition will increasingly shift beyond cryptocurrency trading and into broader wealth management services.

Gate stock strategy goes beyond listed equities

For Gate, the Hong Kong launch represents another building block in a rapidly expanding investment ecosystem.

In addition to listed equities, the platform already offers access to pre-IPO investment opportunities, initial public offerings, and secondary-market stock trading.

By integrating these services under one account structure, users can move between private-market opportunities, public offerings, and actively traded shares without leaving the platform.

The approach positions Gate Stock as more than a simple brokerage alternative.

Instead, it reflects a wider industry ambition to create unified financial hubs where investors can manage cryptocurrencies, tokenized assets, and traditional securities from a single account.

Industry observers say the convergence of digital assets and traditional finance could reshape how retail investors access global markets over the coming years.

“We are witnessing the early stages of capital markets moving on-chain,” said Robbie Mitchnick during recent industry discussions on tokenization.

As crypto-native platforms expand their product offerings, regulatory frameworks and investor demand will likely determine how quickly tokenized and stablecoin-funded equity trading enters the mainstream.

For now, the launch of Gate Stock in Hong Kong adds another signal that the boundaries separating crypto exchanges from traditional brokerages are rapidly disappearing.

With support for both U.S. and Hong Kong equities already in place, the company said it intends to broaden its lineup of accessible assets and deepen its presence across global financial markets.

As competition intensifies, platforms that successfully combine simplicity, regulatory compliance, and multi-asset access may gain an edge in the race to define the next generation of investing.