FTX.US launches "FTX Stocks," offering trading of U.S. listed stocks and ETFs.

FTX.US announced the launch of FTX Stocks, allowing users to trade U.S. listed stocks and ETFs on the FTX.US platform.

FTX.US announced today (19th) the launch of FTX Stocks, offering users the ability to trade U.S. listed stocks and ETFs. FTX Stocks will initially select a portion of users from their registration list for private testing.

FTX Stocks offers trading services for hundreds of U.S. listed securities, including stocks and ETFs. In order to provide more transparent and fair trading prices, FTX Stocks will initially send all trade orders through Nasdaq, where FTX.US will not receive any payment for order flow (PFOF) from customer orders.

[Note 1]: PFOF revenue does not come from retail investors but is a subsidy obtained by sending retail orders to a third-party for execution.

FTX.US President Brett Harrison stated:

"Our goal is to provide comprehensive investment services to both institutions and retail investors on FTX.US. With the launch of FTX Stocks, we have built a single integrated trading platform that allows investors to easily trade cryptocurrencies, NFTs, and traditional stocks through an intuitive interface."

Generally, traditional brokerage firms charge account opening fees and commissions for trades. In line with the goal of democratizing financial services, FTX Stocks will offer users free brokerage accounts, commission-free trading (still subject to fees), free market data, and company fundamental data.

Additionally, FTX.US has eliminated the common "minimum balance requirements" and "tiered account systems" often seen in stock market trading. FTX Stocks represents a significant step in the crypto market, allowing investors to open stock brokerage accounts on the FTX.US platform with deposits in compliant stablecoins (such as USDC), USD wire transfers, ACH transfers, and credit cards.

Securities trading on FTX Stocks will be provided by FTX Capital Markets, a member of FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority).

For clearing, FTX Stocks will collaborate with Embed Clearing LLC, handling routing, execution, clearing, and custody of FTX Stocks customer accounts and trades. The company is a new clearing firm and a member of FINRA, deposit trust company DTC, national securities clearing corporation NSCC, and Nasdaq.

Brett Harrison further stated:

"There is clearly a demand in the market for a new investment experience. This demand comes from exchanges needing to provide customers with complete order transparency without relying on payment for order flow. We are excited to offer users more choices and tools to facilitate smoother investing."