Binance announced on September 1 that it will begin offering options on more than 1,000 selected U.S. stocks and exchange-traded funds, extending its push beyond cryptocurrencies into traditional finance. The company said the product will be operated through Nest Trading Limited, its Abu Dhabi Global Market-regulated broker-dealer, and will not be available to users in the United States.
How the Stock Options Offering Works
Nest Trading Limited will act as an introducing broker, routing orders to Alpaca Securities LLC, a U.S.-registered self-clearing broker-dealer and FINRA member, for execution, clearing, settlement and custody. The options are physically settled, meaning users receive or deliver the underlying shares when they exercise a contract, and exercise requests can be submitted up to 30 minutes before expiry. Eligible retail users can buy calls and puts, with the maximum potential loss limited to the premium paid. Trading runs during regular U.S. market hours, and fees are primarily paid in USDC, with support for BNB, USDT, USD1 and $U subject to availability.
Building on a Rapid Expansion Into TradFi
The launch builds on an equities offering that already spans more than 7,000 stocks and ETFs alongside tokenized securities and equity-linked perpetual futures. Binance said traditional-finance perpetual futures volume reached roughly $433.4 billion in August, about 15 times January’s $29.5 billion, with equity-linked perpetuals accounting for approximately $342.9 billion and around 79% of that activity. Equity-linked perpetual volume represented more than 800 times January’s $410.9 million. “Stock options are an important next step in Binance’s evolution into a fuller multi-asset platform,” said Shunyet Jan, Head of Exchange and Trading at Binance.
Where Binance Sits in the Equity Race
The move places Binance alongside rivals that are connecting crypto platforms to U.S. equity markets. Its TradFi perpetuals had already shown early traction, while Coinbase recently launched tokenized stocks on Base. Binance said users in emerging markets accounted for more than 80% of direct stock trading volume during the first week of its equities launch, and it will keep onboarding, compliance controls, education and risk disclosures aligned with its ADGM-regulated operations as it adds further stock options listings over time. The options join a single-account suite that already includes Binance’s crypto offerings, stocks, ETFs, bStocks tokenized securities and equity-linked perpetuals, underscoring its ambition to operate as a one-stop venue for digital and traditional assets.
