Figure Partners with moomoo and Keplr to Expand Global Access to the On-chain Public Equity Network (OPEN)

WHY THIS MATTERS:
Public equity markets are increasingly being questioned for their reliance on legacy infrastructure that prioritises intermediaries over efficiency. Batch settlement, restricted trading hours and complex custody chains add cost and friction that feel increasingly out of step with a digital-first investment world. Blockchain-native equity issuance represents a structural rethink—one that treats equities as programmable, continuously settling assets rather than static securities. By bridging regulated broker access with self-custody wallets, this model challenges the assumption that investors must choose between compliance and control. As capital markets explore faster settlement cycles and broader access, the convergence of traditional brokerage, on-chain registries and DeFi marks a significant step toward modernising how public equities are issued, traded and financed globally.

Figure is expanding investor access to the On-Chain Public Equity Network (OPEN) through new integrations with moomoo and Keplr, extending the distribution of blockchain-native public equities across both regulated brokerage platforms and self-custody wallets. OPEN allows companies to issue their equity native on blockchain and enables investors worldwide to invest in U.S. public equities while accessing decentralized finance (DeFi) for borrowing against and lending out stock. 

Moomoo is the first retail brokerage to integrate with OPEN, enabling investors to trade equities registered on OPEN through a regulated trading platform. Additionally, as equities join OPEN Keplr will enable direct, self-custodied ownership of OPEN-issued equities, making it the first third-party self-custodied wallet to integrate with OPEN. 

“We are thrilled to bring the blockchain revolution to moomoo customers and broaden access to more diversified investment strategies,” said Neil McDonald, CEO of moomoo. “This is a natural evolution of our tech-first strategy and we are excited to offer our customers access to Figure’s Democratized Prime for stock borrow and lend, delivering greater flexibility to participate in institutional-grade opportunities.”

Together with the Figure Markets app, these integrations demonstrate how public equities can trade and settle natively on blockchain while remaining accessible through both brokerage and self-custody models. Figure plans on offering its own stock – the first on OPEN – in the coming weeks. 

Modernizing public equity market infrastructure

Traditional public equity markets rely on centralized clearing, custodial intermediation, and batch settlement cycles that introduce cost, delay, and operational complexity. OPEN replaces this structure with a blockchain-native registry and real-time settlement framework, enabling T+0 settlement, 24-hour trading and access to DeFi.

By supporting self-settlement on a regulated Alternative Trading System (ATS), OPEN streamlines post-trade processes while remaining aligned with existing securities regulations. This architecture also allows equities issued on OPEN to be accessed across multiple platforms while maintaining a single source of truth for ownership and settlement.

“Replacing broker-gated market access with self-custody wallets is a huge step for the blockchain ecosystem,” said Josh Lee, of Keplr. “We are excited to be spearheading this innovation.”

With over $22 billion in loans originated on public blockchain, Figure has established a track record of modernizing traditional financial markets by using blockchain infrastructure. OPEN extends this approach to public equities.

Expanding access while preserving market integrity

As additional platforms integrate with OPEN, public equities move closer to operating as continuously settling, digitally native instruments rather than assets constrained by legacy infrastructure.

“We are thrilled at how both moomoo and Keplr are democratizing access to the public equity market,” said Mike Cagney, Figure’s co-founder and Chairman. “We see this as the beginning of an entirely new public equity capital market.”

WHY THIS MATTERS:
Public equity markets are increasingly being questioned for their reliance on legacy infrastructure that prioritises intermediaries over efficiency. Batch settlement, restricted trading hours and complex custody chains add cost and friction that feel increasingly out of step with a digital-first investment world. Blockchain-native equity issuance represents a structural rethink—one that treats equities as programmable, continuously settling assets rather than static securities. By bridging regulated broker access with self-custody wallets, this model challenges the assumption that investors must choose between compliance and control. As capital markets explore faster settlement cycles and broader access, the convergence of traditional brokerage, on-chain registries and DeFi marks a significant step toward modernising how public equities are issued, traded and financed globally.

The post Figure Partners with moomoo and Keplr to Expand Global Access to the On-chain Public Equity Network (OPEN) appeared first on FF News | Fintech Finance.