Monetae has introduced a tokenised securities platform in El Salvador offering access to seventy US equities and exchange-traded funds, underpinned by infrastructure from Alpaca. Users can gain exposure to these assets with minimum investments of just five dollars, but they do not open traditional US brokerage accounts or hold shares directly. Instead, customers purchase regulated tokenised products issued by Monetae, while Alpaca Securities handles execution, custody, settlement and position management of the underlying securities through its OmniSub infrastructure.
This arrangement appears to follow an omnibus custody model where Alpaca holds the actual US securities while Monetae manages the customer-facing tokenised layer in El Salvador. The structure allows local users to access American market exposure without establishing offshore brokerage relationships or navigating cross-border payment friction. Alpaca has deployed similar infrastructure solutions previously, including supporting Indonesian broker Valbury’s US stock offering earlier this year.
The launch positions Monetae within the expanding tokenised equities market alongside offerings from Kraken’s xStocks and Ondo Global Markets, both serving non-US investors. However, Monetae emphasises regulatory compliance within its home jurisdiction rather than competing purely on breadth of product selection. For brokers and fintech platforms eyeing cross-border securities distribution, this infrastructure-as-a-service model demonstrates how licensed intermediaries can expand market access without holding direct licences in foreign jurisdictions. Questions around the full legal architecture, client asset segregation and cross-border regulatory treatment remain unanswered.
FXnCO Insight
Tokenised securities offerings raise complex questions about regulatory perimeter, custody liability and investor protection frameworks that demand clear disclosure before widespread retail adoption.
Source: Finance Magnates