Ether.fi just went from being the place you park your ETH for staking rewards to something that looks a lot more like a bank. The Ethereum liquid staking protocol launched its “Summer release” on August 13, introducing in-app trading of tokenized stocks and metals, portfolio-backed borrowing through Aave, and beefed-up fiat on/off-ramps that support over 30 currencies.
What the summer release actually includes
The centerpiece is xStocks, an integration that lets users trade tokenized versions of traditional equities and metals directly inside the Ether.fi app. That means a user can hold ETH staking positions, tokenized Apple shares, and gold exposure in the same self-custody vault. No separate brokerage account needed.
Then there’s the borrowing layer. Ether.fi has built a dedicated Aave V4 market on the Optimism network, letting users borrow against their entire portfolio at roughly 4% interest rates.
The fiat side got a major upgrade too. Deposits now work in over 30 currencies with support for payment methods including Cash App and Apple Pay. Users can also spend directly through the Ether.fi Cash card, which offers cashback rewards while keeping underlying assets in self-custody vaults rather than handing them over to a centralized custodian.
