Binance Research predicts that crypto exchanges could drive $2 trillion in incremental capital and nearly 300 million new investors into global stock markets by 2031, positioning trading platforms as the next gateway to stock ownership.
This prediction frames this as a base case for how crypto platforms will move beyond digital assets and into equities.
Why virtual currency exchanges chase stocks
Binance Research revealed this prediction in a new report. The bullish scenario suggests $5 trillion in annual equity inflows from crypto users within five years.
“This estimate is derived from a top-down model, starting with the total global crypto user base, applying exchange coverage, user eligibility, and adoption rate to estimate the number of active equity traders, and then multiplying by average position size to estimate total capital deployment,” Binance said.
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The study points to a large participation gap between the United States and other countries. Meanwhile, about 62% of Americans own stocks, either directly, through investment funds, or through retirement accounts. Meanwhile, stockholders outside the United States still represent less than 20% of the population.
According to Binance Research, this gap represents one of the most significant structural imbalances in global finance. Despite being the world’s largest and most liquid stock market, U.S. stocks remain largely inaccessible to many foreign investors, leaving a significant pool of capital unexposed to U.S. stocks.
Early data from Binance’s stock trading service appears to support that view. Almost 93% of the platform’s early stock trading users were from emerging markets. Geographical constraints and limited access to intermediary services have historically limited emerging markets’ participation in global stock markets.
However, projected growth is still not guaranteed. Whether equity tokenization unlocks $2 trillion in new capital will ultimately depend on regulatory developments, user adoption, and broader expansion of tokenized stock markets.
