Brazilian stock exchange B3 announced a move deepening its ties to digital assets through the launch of a tokenization platform and stablecoin for settlements, starting in 2026.
In a Tuesday notice to investors, B3’s vice president of products and clients, Luiz Masagão, said the exchange plans to launch a tokenization platform for traditional assets, starting with stock market offerings. He added that B3 would also issue its own stablecoin as “a tool to enable trading in tokens."
“The great value of having this tokenization platform connected to the traditional ecosystem is that assets are fungible,” said Masagão. “The token buyer won’t know they’re buying from a traditional stock seller. This allows for a smooth transition, with both benefiting from the same liquidity.”
The announcement came about a month after Brazil’s central bank said it would classify stablecoin transactions as part of foreign-exchange operations for crypto companies. It’s unclear how the policy change, expected to take effect in February, could apply to stock exchanges like B3.
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The tokenization and stablecoin plan was just one part of the exchange’s agenda on digital assets. Masagão said that B3 planned to launch weekly options for Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH) and Solana (SOL), as well as event contracts, such as those offered by prediction platforms Kalshi and Polymarket.
Brazilian market beat the US on crypto ETFs
As the sole significant stock exchange in Brazil, B3 also offered investors exposure to cryptocurrencies through exchange-traded funds earlier than the US, where regulators approved ETFs tied to Bitcoin futures in 2021 and spot Bitcoin ETFs in January 2024. Thirteen ETFs with crypto exposure were listed on B3 starting in 2021, and the exchange included a spot XRP (XRP) fund in February.
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