2024 milestones and what we’re excited about heading into 2025

By Vanessa Malone

As we prepare for an exciting 2025, we’re thrilled to share the milestones Upstream, part of MERJ Exchange, has accomplished in 2024. We believe our next generation stock trading app is positioned to become the global trading hub to buy and sell traditional equities, real-world assets, and tokenized investments directly from your smartphones, 20/7. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of our journey so far, and cheers to a more accessible, transparent, and inclusive financial future for all.

2024 Highlights

  • Upstream Market Volume: In 2024, the total market cap for Upstream issuers reached $329.3M with a trading volume value of $473, 870.22¹ 
  • User Growth: Upstream is on track to reach 15,000 active users.
  • Expanded Trading Hours: Upstream extended its trading hours from 20/5 to 20/7 for international investors to trade in real-time whenever, wherever.
  • Real-Time Stock Trading: Investors buying and selling equities on Upstream experience peer to peer execution, instant settlement, no short selling, and other blockchain-enabled features.
  • Options/Warrants Trading: Investors can now trade options with transparent pricing, enabling dynamic strategies and portfolio hedging.
  • Liquidity Pools: Upstream introduced Market Pools (MPs), allowing traders to deposit securities along with U.S. dollars into Upstream’s smart contract to provide guaranteed liquidity and ensure transparent pricing. Traders can buy or sell securities using the Market Pool as the counterparty.
  • UI/UX Enhancements: Upstream has made user interface enhancements to further streamline investor onboarding, incorporating user-friendly updates to KYC processes, custodial account management, and improved navigation within the trading app.

The Opportunity Ahead

With a $100 trillion equities market,² $1 trillion in tokenized asset potential,³ and 117 million retail traders on stock trading apps,⁴ Upstream is positioned to democratize access to both traditional and tokenized assets for global investors, tapping into the rapidly growing retail trading community and underserved markets outside of the U.S.

  • Regulatory Advances: Anticipated U.S. regulatory changes are raising global confidence in blockchain, paving the way for transparency, efficiency, and security in financial markets. We are optimistic that these changes could positively impact Upstream, and we look forward to the possibility of allowing Americans to trade someday.
  • Massive Market Potential: The $100 trillion equities market, combined with the $1 trillion potential of tokenized assets, highlights a significant opportunity for Upstream to establish itself as a global trading hub.
  • Rising Retail Trader Demand: With 117 million retail traders on stock trading apps worldwide, the demand for modern, accessible trading platforms is growing quickly.
  • DeFi Momentum: The decentralized finance (DeFi) market is projected to reach 53.56million users by 2025 as investors increasingly favor blockchain-powered alternatives to traditional finance.⁵
  • Demand for Transparency: Retail investors are calling for cost clarity and alternatives to practices like Payment for Order Flow (PFOF), which impact execution quality.

Upstream’s Competitive Edge

  • Upstream, a joint venture with MERJ Exchange, empowers investors to buy and sell traditional equities, real-world assets, and tokenized investments directly from their smartphones, 20/7.
  • Upstream is built to democratize market access for underserved global investors, aligning with modern demands for equitable trading solutions.

2025 Focus Area

Building a Global Trading Community

  • We’re inviting companies listed on national exchanges to dual list on Upstream for global exposure

Pioneering Tokenization

  • We’re working to become a secondary trading platform solution for global firms to provide customers access to tokenized assets, such as crypto ETFs, gold, and real-world assets (RWAs).

Enhancing Direct Exchange Access

  • We’re empowering investors with direct access to fractional and whole stock trading with instant settlements.

Strategic Partnerships

  • We’re building out our Dual Listing program and affiliate partnerships to bring in quality issuers and investors into our ecosystem.

Thank you for your continued support as we innovate and grow. Together, we’re building a future where global markets are more accessible, transparent, and inclusive than ever before.

Stay connected: LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram | Medium | Discord

Have an issuer in mind that could benefit from reaching investors outside of the U.S.? Get started at https://upstream.exchange/GetListed. Traders can download Upstream from their preferred app store here: https://upstream.exchange/.

Note: U.S. persons may not deposit, buy, or sell securities on Upstream.

Sources: 1 WFE | 2 Boston Consulting Group X ADDX | 3 Business of Apps 4 Statista

Disclaimers:

U.S. persons may not deposit, buy, or sell securities on Upstream. Anyone may buy and sell Collectibles on Upstream.

This communication shall not constitute an offer to sell securities or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in any jurisdiction where such offer or solicitation is not permitted. Collectibles have no royalties, equity ownership, or dividends. Collectibles are for utility, collection, redemption, or display purposes only. Anyone may buy and sell Collectibles on Upstream. All orders for sale are non-solicited by Upstream and a user’s decision to trade securities must be based on their own investment judgment.

Upstream is a MERJ Exchange market. MERJ Exchange is a licensed Securities Exchange, an affiliate of the World Federation of Exchanges, a National Numbering Agency, and a member of ANNA. MERJ is regulated in the Seychelles by the Financial Services Authority, https://fsaseychelles.sc/, an associate member of the International Association of Securities Commissions (IOSCO). MERJ supports global issuers of traditional and digital securities through the entire asset life cycle from issuance to trading, clearing, settlement, and registry. It operates a fair and transparent marketplace in line with international best practices and principles of operations of financial markets. Upstream does not endorse or recommend any public or private securities bought or sold on its app. Upstream does not offer investment advice or recommendations of any kind. All services offered by Upstream are intended for self-directed clients who make their own investment decisions without aid or assistance from Upstream. All customers are subject to the rules and regulations of their jurisdiction. By accessing the site or app, you agree to be bound by its terms of use and privacy policy. Company and security listings on Upstream are only suitable for investors who are familiar with and willing to accept the high risk associated with speculative investments, often in early and development-stage companies. U.S. persons may not deposit, buy, or sell securities on Upstream. There can be no assurance the valuation of any particular company’s securities is accurate or in agreement with the market or industry comparative valuations. Investors must be able to afford market volatility and afford the loss of their investment. Companies listed on Upstream are subject to significant ongoing corporate obligations including, but not limited to disclosure, filings, and notification requirements, as well as compliance with applicable quantitative and qualitative listing standards.

Collectible products are akin to a digital sticker of an underlying artwork and should not be considered a financial investment; a security token, an e-money token, or a form of digital currency. Collectibles should not, therefore, be purchased by anyone seeking financial gain or with an expectation to profit from the purchase, ownership in the entity, dividends or distributions, sale or resale of a Collectible. By buying a Collectible, you agree that you are not doing so for investment purposes or for the purposes of obtaining a security or an appreciating asset. You understand that the benefit you receive for buying a Collectible is limited to supporting athletes, celebrities and other brands. You also acknowledge that ownership of a Collectible does not carry with it any rights, express or implied, including (without limitation) copyright, trademarks or other intellectual property or proprietary rights in and to the underlying artwork. The copyright to the digital artwork remains with the copyright holder.

Forward-Looking Statements
 This communication contains “forward-looking statements.” Such statements may be preceded by the words “intends,” “may,” “will,” “plans,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “projects,” “predicts,” “estimates,” “aims,” “believes,” “hopes,” “potential,” or similar words. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, are based on certain assumptions, and are subject to various known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company’s control, and cannot be predicted or quantified, and, consequently, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks and uncertainties associated with (i) difficulties in obtaining financing on commercially reasonable terms; (ii) changes in the size and nature of our competition; (iii) loss of one or more key executives or brand ambassadors; and (iv) changes in legal or regulatory requirements in the markets in which we operate. The Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.