What is xStocks? A step-by-step guide on how to use Gate to purchase AAPLX to invest in Apple stocks.

In July 2025, the world-leading encryption trading platform Gate announced the launch of the xStocks trading area, initially supporting eight tokenized US stock assets including AAPLX. Users can trade Apple Inc. stock directly with USDT, completely breaking free from regional restrictions and traditional trading hour constraints.

At the same time, Gate has become the world's first platform to support tokenized stock contract trading, and its Alpha zone has simultaneously launched targets such as MSTRx and AAPLx, opening up new strategic space for on-chain asset trading.

A New Financial Paradigm: How xStocks is Reshaping Traditional Stock Investment?

In the wave of accelerated integration between the encryption industry and traditional finance, xStocks, as a revolutionary tokenized stock product, is leading the transformation of investment methods.

xStocks is essentially a tokenization stock solution launched by the Swiss compliant platform Backed Finance. It transforms real listed company stocks, fully collateralized 1:1, into digital assets that can be freely traded on the blockchain.

Each token corresponds to the stock of a specific company, for example, AAPLX represents the stock of Apple Inc. These tokens are issued on public chains such as Solana (SPL) and Ethereum (ERC-20), and the underlying stocks are held by licensed custodians.

Compared to traditional stocks, xStocks has achieved three major breakthroughs:

• Borderless Trading: Open to users in non-US regions (China, Southeast Asia, Latin America, etc.), no local brokerage account required.
• Time Liberation: Supports 24/7 trading, breaking through the traditional stock market time constraints of 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM EST.
• Fragmented investment: You can purchase high-priced blue-chip stocks like Apple for as little as 10 USD, reducing the capital threshold by over 95%.

AAPLX Analysis, the On-Chain Avatar of Apple Stock

AAPLX is a tokenized certificate of Apple Inc. (AAPL) stock, closely tracking its real-time stock price performance on the Nasdaq exchange.

As of July 2025, Apple's stock price is approximately 174.10 USD per share, while AAPLX allows users to participate in investment with a minimum of about 10 USD.

However, there is a key difference between holding AAPLX and holding traditional Apple stock:

• No shareholder rights: does not enjoy company voting rights or cash dividend distribution (dividends are usually reflected indirectly through token value adjustment)
• Price exposure only: purely obtaining profits from stock price fluctuations, without involving actual ownership of Apple Inc.
• Compliance Assurance: The underlying Apple stocks are custodied by a Swiss licensed bank (such as InCore Bank) and are subject to regular independent audits.

Practical Guide: Four Steps to Purchase AAPLX on Gate

Step 1: Account Preparation

Visit Gate.com (excluding restricted areas such as the US/Canada) and complete identity verification.

Step 2: Fund Recharge

Go to 【Assets】 → 【Spot】 account, select USDT to get the deposit address (supports multi-chain deposits). It is recommended to use TRC-20 or Solana network to reduce transfer fees.

##Step Three: Locate Trading Pair Click on the top navigation bar 【Trade】, select 【xStocks Area】 or directly enter AAPLX/USDT in the search box. Gate provides both spot and contract trading options, and beginners are advised to choose spot trading.

Step 4: Place an order to buy

• Market Order: Execute immediately at the current best price, suitable for quick position building.
• Limit order: Set the ideal purchase price (e.g., 170 USDT) and wait for market fluctuations to trigger.
• Input amount: Supports fractional share trading, minimum purchase starting from 10 USD
• Confirm Order: Complete the transaction after verifying the information, AAPLX will be credited to the spot account.

Advanced Skills: Gate simultaneously offers AAPLX perpetual contracts (with a maximum leverage of 10 times), supporting both long and short positions. Participating in xStocks trading in July also gives you a chance to receive a reward of 100 USDT + 10 GT.

Core Advantages: The Three Competitive Strengths of Gate xStocks Zone

product depth leads the way

Gate is the world's first tokenized stock contract market, providing leveraged operations and long-short strategies for underlying assets like AAPLX. Its Alpha zone offers institutional-level liquidity, narrowing the bid-ask spread by over 30%.

trading mechanism innovation

The matching engine's response speed reaches millisecond level, and the settlement is shortened from the traditional financial T+2 days to instant completion on-chain. Users can transfer AAPLX to supported wallets to participate in DeFi applications (such as staking, lending, and liquidity mining), achieving "holding stocks to earn interest."

transparent compliance framework

All tokens are issued by Backed Finance and hold a securities token issuance license issued by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA). The custodian bank publishes reserve proof monthly to ensure that tokens correspond 1:1 with stock reserves.

Risk Warning: Four Major Risks You Must Know Before Investing in AAPLX

regulatory uncertainty

The US SEC has not yet recognized the legality of tokenized stocks, and policies in places like Switzerland and Singapore are still evolving. In July 2025, some platforms temporarily restricted access from certain regions due to regulatory pressure.

equity differences

Holding AAPLX does not participate in Apple shareholder meeting votes, dividends are usually reflected indirectly through token buybacks and burns (non-cash distribution), and the long-term holding return structure is different from traditional stocks.

technology security

In 2025, the Solana network experienced a brief interruption, causing multiple exchanges to suspend xStocks withdrawals. On-chain transfers must be carefully checked for addresses, as mistakes may result in permanent loss of assets.

market volatility

In extreme market conditions, there may be a short-term price difference of 2%-5% (deviation from the actual stock price of Nasdaq). Some Token trading has limited depth, and large orders may face higher slippage.

##Future Outlook With platforms like Gate launching over 60 stock tokens, xStocks' average daily trading volume has exceeded 5 billion USD. African investors are trading Apple stock after the New York market closes, and Middle Eastern users can access US stock assets without local brokerage configurations—these scenarios are becoming a reality.

As crypto analyst Max said: "On-chain stock trading is not a replacement for traditional markets, but rather is creating a more inclusive parallel universe." As high-performance blockchain and regulatory frameworks continue to improve, xStocks is expected to become the core channel connecting traditional finance and decentralized finance.