Nigerian cryptocurrency exchange Roqqu has entered a strategic partnership with Ondo Finance, a US-based tokenised asset manager, to give African retail investors access to blockchain-based versions of American stocks and exchange-traded funds. The product is expected to launch on June 29, 2026, and will be available to all Roqqu users.
The deal marks a significant product extension for Roqqu, which has been steadily building out its financial services offering beyond basic crypto trading. It also signals the growing ambition of African fintech platforms to give their users access to global capital markets without routing them through traditional foreign brokerages.
What the Partnership Actually Offers
The collaboration is designed to broaden access to institutional-grade tokenised financial products, combining Ondo Finance’s expertise in bringing traditional financial assets onto blockchain networks with Roqqu’s growing presence in emerging economies. In practical terms, this means a user on Roqqu’s platform will be able to hold tokenised versions of US-listed stocks and ETFs directly within the app; assets that are backed one-to-one by the underlying securities held in regulated custody.
For African retail investors who have historically been locked out of US equity markets by geographic restrictions, capital controls, and the complexity of foreign brokerage accounts, it has become easy to invest in American companies from your phone, the same way you already trade crypto.
Ondo’s Track Record Matters Here
Ondo Finance is not a new entrant to this space, and that matters when evaluating whether this partnership has real legs. Ondo Finance tokenises real-world assets such as US Treasuries and publicly listed stocks, issuing on-chain tokens backed one-to-one by assets held in regulated institutional custody. Its total value locked surpassed $3 billion in early April 2026, reflecting sustained institutional inflows across Ethereum and BNB Chain.
The company has also proven the Africa playbook before. Through a separate partnership, Ondo introduced over 200 tokenised stocks and ETFs to users in Africa and South America, before expanding the same model into Europe. The Roqqu deal follows that same architecture by bringing an established tokenisation product to a new distribution partner with local market reach.
The Regulatory Question
The launch will take place within a rapidly shifting regulatory environment in Nigeria. The Central Bank of Nigeria and the Nigeria Revenue Service now oversee payment-based digital assets, while the Nigerian Securities and Exchange Commission regulates assets that behave like securities under the Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority framework introduced in February 2026. Tokenised stocks sit firmly in securities territory, which means Roqqu will need to demonstrate compliance with the SEC Nigeria’s VARA framework as the product scales.
A Bigger Play for Roqqu
The Ondo partnership fits a pattern of deliberate expansion at Roqqu. The exchange drew more than 30,000 users to its futures derivatives product during beta testing, signalling a strong appetite among its user base for more sophisticated financial instruments. The company also acquired Kenyan crypto exchange Flitaa in 2025, extending its footprint across East Africa. Adding tokenised US equities to its product shelf positions Roqqu as a broader investment platform for African users.
