Gen Z Favors ETFs and Trades Less Than Older Cohorts: Binance
Gen Z traders on Binance are allocating a growing share of their equity activity to exchange-traded funds (ETFs), with the products accounting for 25% of the cohort's trading volume in early August, according to Binance Research.
Intelligence analysis by Llama

Gen Z traders on Binance are favoring ETFs over individual stocks, with the products accounting for 25% of their trading volume in early August, according to Binance Research. The younger cohort also traded less frequently than other working-age generations across all three products.
Gen Z traders on Binance are using more exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and trading less often than older generations. This might be because they're more cautious with their investments or prefer the stability of ETFs.
Analysis
Gen Z's Growing Preference for ETFs
Gen Z traders on Binance are increasingly allocating their equity activity to exchange-traded funds (ETFs), with the products accounting for 25% of the cohort's trading volume in early August, according to Binance Research. This trend is significant, as it may indicate a changing attitude towards risk and investment among younger investors.
Trading Frequency and Leverage Use
The younger cohort traded less frequently than other working-age generations across all three products. Gen Z averaged 13 monthly trades in TradFi perpetuals, compared with 17 for Millennials and 16.5 for Gen X. Among Gen Z direct-equity accounts, 22% had never placed a sell order, compared with 19% of Gen X accounts and 9% of Baby Boomer accounts. Millennials had the highest share of buy-only accounts at 30%.
Binance's bStocks Briefly Overtakes xStocks
Binance's bStocks briefly overtook Kraken's xStocks as the second-largest tokenized stock issuer this week, less than two months after launching. As of Tuesday, bStocks held $610.6 million in tokenized stock value, compared with $601.2 million for xStocks, according to Token Terminal data. The positions had reversed by Friday, with Token Terminal showing xStocks at $610.7 million and bStocks at $579.6 million, representing 22.3% and 21.2% of the roughly $2.7 billion market, respectively.
Key points
- Gen Z traders on Binance are allocating a growing share of their equity activity to ETFs, with the products accounting for 25% of the cohort's trading volume in early August, according to Binance Research.
- The younger cohort traded less frequently than other working-age generations across all three products.
- Binance's bStocks briefly overtook Kraken's xStocks as the second-largest tokenized stock issuer this week, less than two months after launching.
If Gen Z continues to favor ETFs and trades less frequently, it could lead to a more stable and less volatile cryptocurrency market, as younger investors may be more risk-averse and prefer more conservative investment strategies.
However, if Gen Z's preference for ETFs and reduced trading frequency is driven by a lack of understanding or experience with individual stocks, it could lead to a lack of innovation and progress in the cryptocurrency market, as younger investors may be less likely to take on risk and explore new investment opportunities.



