Uniswap adds tokenized shares of 4 blue-chip companies to DeFi

Uniswap added tokenized shares of SpaceX, Apple, Tesla and Nvidia to its Web App, Wallet and API on June 12, letting eligible users trade traditional equities on a decentralized exchange.

"Integrating tokenized shares directly into the Uniswap interface unifies traditional finance with the DeFi ecosystem," a Uniswap spokesperson said.

The four companies represent a combined market capitalization exceeding $10 trillion for the publicly traded names, while SpaceX was valued at about $350 billion in secondary market transactions. Users can swap the digital versions through Uniswap's existing liquidity pools on Ethereum without leaving the interface or connecting to external platforms. The tokenized shares are issued by a regulated partner and backed 1:1 by the underlying securities, according to the protocol's documentation.

The launch positions Uniswap to capture volume from the tokenized real-world asset market, which Standard Chartered projects could grow to $4 trillion by 2028 from about $340 billion today. The bank's analyst Geoffrey Kendrick said the share of tokenized assets actively deployed in DeFi could rise to 30% by 2030 from roughly 3.5% currently, potentially directing $2.7 trillion in assets through protocols such as Uniswap. The bank's price path places UNI at $6.50 in 2026, $20 in 2027 and $100 by 2030.

UNI, the protocol's governance token on Ethereum, rose 13.8% to $2.99 after the bank initiated coverage. The token's relative strength index climbed above 78, pushing into overbought territory, with resistance at $3.10 and support at $2.75, CoinGecko data shows. Daily trading volume exceeded $404 million during the rally, up from the 30-day average of about $250 million.

Competing decentralized exchanges face pressure to offer similar TradFi integrations as tokenization gains traction. Protocols such as dYdX and Curve currently lack direct access to tokenized equities, giving Uniswap a first-mover advantage in the DeFi-to-equities channel. The integration also opens a new revenue stream through swap fees on tokenized share trading, though Uniswap has not disclosed fee-sharing terms with the tokenization issuer.

The broader tokenization market has attracted interest from major financial institutions. BlackRock, Franklin Templeton and Hamilton Lane have all launched tokenized funds, while the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation has explored settlement infrastructure for digital securities. Uniswap's integration represents the first time a major decentralized exchange has offered direct access to tokenized shares of individual companies alongside crypto-native assets, potentially accelerating the convergence of traditional capital markets and DeFi infrastructure.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.