Ondo is one of the biggest names in tokenized real-world assets. Through Ondo Global Markets it issues on-chain tokens that represent US stocks and ETFs. Here is how the model works and what you actually hold.
Tokenized real-world assets, explained
A real-world asset (RWA) token is an off-chain asset — such as a stock, ETF or treasury bill — represented on-chain as a token issued by a regulated entity. Ondo Global Markets applies this to equities: it issues tokens that track US stocks and ETFs, more than 260 of them, across Solana, Ethereum and BNB Chain.
Crucially, the token is a claim issued by Ondo, not the registered security itself. You get economic exposure to the underlying, but ownership of the actual share sits within Ondo's structure.
What backs Ondo's tokens
Ondo's equity tokens are designed to track total return, which means dividends are reflected in the token's value rather than paid to you as separate cash. The tokens are issued by Ondo as the regulated entity behind them, and Ondo is the largest tokenized-equity issuer by total value locked — a sign of scale and liquidity, though not a substitute for understanding the backing.
As with any tokenized product, your risk includes the issuer's solvency, the custody of the underlying, and the legal structure that connects the two. None of that carries the investor-compensation protection of holding a real share through a regulated broker.
Where Ondo fits among the alternatives
Compared with tokenized stocks like Kraken's xStocks (issued by Backed Finance), Ondo's distinguishing features are breadth — 260+ assets — and total-return tracking across multiple chains. Compared with real-share products like Binance Stocks, Ondo is firmly a token: convenient and broad, but not direct ownership.