Overview
- Uphold has launched stock and ETF trading inside its crypto app that lets eligible U.S. customers buy more than 4,000 listed securities using a single in-app flow.
- Crypto used to buy securities is converted into U.S. dollars by Uphold before the brokerage trade is executed, so shares settle through conventional brokerage processes rather than as blockchain tokens.
- Different affiliated entities handle each step: Uphold HQ converts crypto to dollars, Uphold Securities (an SEC-registered broker-dealer and FINRA and SIPC member) executes orders, and Apex Clearing carries and clears customer accounts.
- The platform supports fractional shares from $5 and advertises zero commission on cash-to-stock trades while charging standard crypto-to-USD conversion fees and regulatory selling fees that apply when customers sell securities.
- The launch follows a wider move by crypto-native firms into regulated equities and could broaden retail access to high-priced stocks while raising new questions about custody, SIPC coverage for crypto, and fee and trading-hour policies to watch next.