UMX, short for the Unified Market Exchange, has launched its invitation-only public beta, positioning itself as a “crypto-friendly securities platform” that puts crypto trading and real US stocks on a single interface. The platform is incubated by Avenir Group, the firm led by Li Lin, founder of the Huobi exchange, and described as one of Asia's major institutional holders of Bitcoin ETFs.
According to Wu Blockchain's report, the securities side of UMX offers actual US stocks, ETFs, options and fractional shares, with trading available during pre-market, regular, after-hours and overnight sessions, alongside 12 order types and eight options strategies through both app and API access.
One Account, Two Asset Classes
On the crypto side, UMX runs a unified account structure spanning spot, margin, perpetual futures and delivery futures, with cross-asset margin capabilities that let users move collateral between crypto and equities positions. The platform also offers BTC and USDT yield products with stated annualized yields of up to 2.5% and 5.5% respectively — modest by DeFi standards, but aimed at users who want yield without leaving a regulated-feeling securities environment.
Built for Moving Between Both Worlds
The platform's most distinctive features are the ones designed to blur the line between crypto and traditional securities entirely: a “Convert & Transfer” function that moves stablecoins directly into securities accounts, a “Borrow & Transfer” tool that lets users pledge crypto as collateral for stock-buying power, and a “Tokenize” function that converts securities into tradeable tokens. Together, they aim to let users treat a stock position and a crypto position as interchangeable forms of the same portfolio rather than two separate accounts.
Related: BlackRock Pulls in $896M Across Bitcoin and Ether ETFs in a Week
UMX's launch adds to a broader wave of platforms trying to merge crypto-native trading infrastructure with access to traditional equities, a trend that has picked up as institutional money managers have grown more comfortable holding both asset classes side by side rather than treating them as separate allocations.
For now, access remains invite-only during the beta phase, with UMX yet to announce a timeline for opening registration to the general public.
