by Coinstrooper Crypto Articles
Quick Take
  • Crypto exchange Gate wants a Bitcoin holder’s next stock purchase to happen without their money leaving its platform.
  • The ambition is to keep more of an investor’s financial life inside one exchange.
  • Speaking with BeInCrypto at TOKEN2049, Jason Fung, Gate’s head of global partnerships, described how that could change the way people invest.
  • Broader markets give exchanges more opportunities to keep customers trading.

What Happened

Crypto exchange Gate wants a Bitcoin holder’s next stock purchase to happen without their money leaving its platform. The ambition is to keep more of an investor’s financial life inside one exchange.

Speaking with BeInCrypto at TOKEN2049, Jason Fung, Gate’s head of global partnerships, described how that could change the way people invest.

For investors, the question is whether those extra choices make managing money easier.

“It’s becoming a one-stop shop for anyone who wants to invest,” he said.

Gate introduced Japanese stock trading in August, initially offering around 300 Tokyo-listed stocks. Users can fund trades with USDT, the dollar-linked stablecoin, according to the company.

That offers a practical reason to stay: an existing crypto balance can fund a stock investment without first being withdrawn to a bank and sent to a separate broker. Availability still depends on the user’s jurisdiction.

His example is an investor who follows semiconductors and wants to buy a particular company while keeping Bitcoin for the long term. Access to equities gives that investor somewhere else to put money when their strongest conviction lies outside crypto.

Gate announced its Robinhood Chain integration in July and Arc support in September. Fung said integrations across its exchange and Web3 services reduce the steps needed to access those ecosystems.

Market Context

The business case is becoming clearer. CoinGecko’s latest quarterly report found that spot trading volume at the top ten centralized exchanges fell 14.2% in Q3 2026, despite a recovery in crypto prices. Broader markets give exchanges more opportunities to keep customers trading.

Fung’s argument starts with where customers already hold their money. Someone with digital assets on an exchange can use that platform to reach overseas stock markets.

Gate says it now offers access to more than 12,800 stocks across the US, Hong Kong, Korea and Japan markets combined.

Those behaviours have different implications. Building a broader portfolio can spread exposure. Chasing each new market theme can increase trading without necessarily reducing risk.

Why It Matters

Why Move Your Money to Buy a Stock?

A More Diverse Portfolio or Just More Trades?

Details

“It’s no longer a decision between holding crypto or holding cash,” Fung said.

“Diversifying is one part, rotating in and out of narratives you have conviction in is another.”

Fung said future data should reveal whether customers diversify more or simply make more trades. He presented both as possibilities, leaving open how far easier access changes the way people manage their money.

How Much Is a Faster Trade Worth?

The same push to shorten the distance between an idea and a trade extends to new blockchains.

“You already have funds there, you’re already KYC’d,” he said, referring to identity checks.

For a trader following a new token, fewer setup steps can matter. Fung argues that reacting quickly to information offers an edge.

Speed also brings responsibility back to the trader. Easier access gives them less administrative work; it provides no assurance that the asset deserves their money.

Who Stays When the Rewards Stop?

Fung applies a different test when assessing whether an ecosystem will last.