Ether.fi adds tokenized stocks and Aave-backed loans to its app

Ethereum restaking platform Ether.fi is adding tokenized stocks, metals, and crypto trading to its app, alongside loans backed by a user's whole portfolio and fiat accounts spanning more than 30 currencies, the company said on August 13, as it pushes further into everyday crypto banking.

The new trading feature lets users buy and sell tokenized versions of stocks, metals, and crypto assets, including Ethereum, Bitcoin, and Hyperliquid, alongside Ether.fi's own ETHFI token, through an integrated market inside the app. Tokenized stock and metals trading won't be available in the US and some other markets, reflecting the regulatory patchwork that still surrounds tokenized equities.

The bigger structural change is the portfolio-backed loan feature, which lets users borrow against the full value of their holdings without selling any of them. It runs through a lending partnership with Aave deployed on Optimism, an Ethereum layer-2 network, so a loan draws on a diversified basket of assets rather than a single token pledged as collateral.

Fiat accounts round out the update, letting users deposit and withdraw across more than 30 currencies and payment methods, with access gated behind identity verification tied to Ether.fi's payment card. Deposit and withdrawal speed varies by method, and the company hasn't published a full country-by-country breakdown of which payment rails apply where. The additions build on Ether.fi Cash, which already combined a crypto-linked card with Aave-based borrowing and fiat on- and off-ramps, extending that groundwork into a wider trading and lending surface rather than introducing an entirely separate product line. Ether.fi has positioned that card business as its bridge into mainstream spending, and the new trading and loan features effectively widen that bridge from a single card product into a broader financial account.

“With ether.fi, we're bridging the gap between decentralized finance and everyday financial needs.”

— Mike Silagadze, CEO, Ether.fi

• New: tokenized stock, metals, and crypto trading inside the Ether.fi app (unavailable in the US and some other markets)
• New: portfolio-backed loans via Aave on Optimism, borrowing against a full holdings basket without selling
• New: fiat accounts covering 30+ currencies and payment methods, gated by identity verification
• Scale: Ether.fi reports 500,000+ platform members and a $2 billion annual transaction run rate

Silagadze predicted the portfolio-lending feature specifically would see the most use, saying being able to borrow against a whole portfolio rather than a single asset "is going to be popular" among users who want liquidity without triggering a taxable sale. The expansion lands as brokerages and DeFi platforms keep blurring into each other: eToro recently put $12.5 million into onchain derivatives to chase the same crossover audience. For Ether.fi, adding stock and metals trading on top of its existing staking and card business is a bet that users want one app for restaking yield, borrowing, and now traditional-asset exposure, rather than juggling separate platforms for each. The regulatory carve-out for US users on tokenized equities underscores how much of this expansion still runs ahead of clear rules: metals and crypto trading, along with the Aave-backed loans, roll out globally, while the stock piece stays confined to jurisdictions where tokenized securities already have a clearer legal footing.

Nothing here should be taken as financial advice — just information to consider.