Bitget has completed its New Zealand financial services registration covering five business areas as the crypto exchange expands its tokenized and direct U.S. stock products.
Summary
- Bitget registered for five financial service categories in New Zealand and joined the IFSO dispute scheme.
- The registration supports Bitget’s rToken and Stock+ services covering tokenized and direct U.S. equities.
- Bitget plans a regulated U.S. return while keeping its platform restricted in Singapore.
Bitget said its entry in New Zealand’s Financial Service Providers Register covers foreign currency exchange, domestic and cross-border money transfers, client asset custody, portfolio and money management, and the execution of financial products or foreign exchange transactions for clients. Bitget announced the registration on July 23.
Alongside the registration, the exchange has joined the Insurance and Financial Services Ombudsman Dispute Resolution Scheme. The IFSO Scheme describes its service as an independent, fair and free channel through which consumers can pursue complaints against participating financial service providers.
Registration on the FSPR does not, by itself, mean that Bitget is licensed or regulated in New Zealand. New Zealand’s Companies Office states that registration neither represents government approval nor guarantees that a provider is subject to active supervision.
According to the Companies Office, certain financial services also require a license from the Financial Markets Authority or the Reserve Bank of New Zealand. Bitget’s announcement identified its registered service categories but did not disclose a separate New Zealand license from either authority.
Registration covers trading, custody and money transfers
Under its registered scope, Bitget can provide foreign exchange services and transfer money within New Zealand or across national borders. The company’s announcement also included holding and safeguarding client assets, managing portfolios and executing transactions in products such as stocks and exchange-traded funds.
Joining the IFSO Scheme adds a formal complaint process alongside those services. New Zealand’s FSPR guidance states that providers serving retail clients generally must belong to an approved dispute resolution scheme unless an exemption applies.
Bitget presented the registration as another part of its compliance network, citing its Digital Asset Service Provider license in El Salvador and authorization from South Africa’s Financial Sector Conduct Authority. The exchange said those approvals support its operations under separate national rules.
However, Bitget follows different access policies in markets where it lacks local approval. In a July 22 notice, the exchange confirmed that it is not licensed, approved, registered, authorized or supervised by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
The Singapore notice also states that Bitget does not make its services available to people in the country, solicit Singapore residents or direct offers toward them. Singapore remains listed as a prohibited country under the exchange’s terms, with platform access restricted from the jurisdiction.
Commenting on Bitget’s regulatory approach, CEO Gracy Chen said:
“As Bitget continues to expand globally, we will remain committed to meeting local regulatory requirements and building a trusted platform for our users.”
Singapore’s MAS uses its Investor Alert List to identify businesses that consumers could mistakenly view as regulated by the authority. As crypto.news reported, MAS added decentralized exchange Hyperliquid to the list in June 2026, after which Hyperliquid stated that it had never claimed to possess approval from the regulator.
Tokenized stocks support Bitget’s expansion plans
Bitget’s New Zealand registration comes as the exchange builds two routes into U.S. equity markets. Its rToken product provides tokenized economic exposure to selected U.S. stocks and ETFs, while Stock+ gives eligible users broker-style access to real securities through licensed partners.
According to Bitget’s product documentation, rTokens are issued by Reality and designed to carry 1:1 backing through shares held in custody. The tokens track assets such as Nvidia, Apple, Tesla and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF, although holding one does not provide the same ownership structure as buying a registered share through a traditional brokerage account.
Bitget says the rToken lineup covers more than 500 mainstream U.S. stocks and ETFs, with selected products available around the clock. Supported tokens can also be used in certain margin, collateral, lending and trading strategies, subject to product and regional rules.
Stock+ serves a different market by offering more than 10,000 U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs. Bitget’s documentation states that the service supports fractional holdings from 0.0001 shares, dividend payments and trading during U.S. market sessions, while access depends on a customer’s location and eligibility.
The exchange is also preparing to return to the United States after dropping an earlier expansion effort following FTX’s 2022 collapse and the enforcement pressure that followed. As crypto.news reported on July 22, Chen said Bitget intends to enter the market regardless of whether Congress passes the CLARITY Act.
Before offering U.S. services, Chen said the company plans to establish an independent local entity and pursue money-transmitter, derivatives and broker-dealer approvals. Bitget has not provided a launch date, making its entry dependent on completing the required approval processes.
Chen also told crypto.news that tokenized traditional assets accounted for 20% to 30% of Bitget’s spot trading volume during the previous quarter. According to her figures, 52% of its users held both stocks and cryptocurrencies, while Bitget’s tokenized-stock products had accumulated more than $100 million in assets.
With the New Zealand registration now complete, Bitget has added another jurisdiction to its financial-services network while keeping product access tied to local rules. Its progress in the United States will depend on obtaining separate approvals, just as its Singapore restrictions remain in force without MAS authorization.
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