Nasdaq to invest $100 million in Kraken parent to deepen tokenization push

Nasdaq

10/09/2026 12:46

Sept 10 (Reuters) - Nasdaq NDAQ.O said on Thursday its venture arm agreed to invest $100 million in Payward, parent company of cryptocurrency exchange ​Kraken, deepening a partnership aimed at developing infrastructure for trading tokenized equities.
Established exchange operators are developing tokenized securities and related infrastructure to capture growing investor interest in blockchain-based assets and compete with crypto-native platforms that are expanding into stocks and derivatives, including perpetual futures.
Here are some more details:
Nasdaq said the companies aim to build infrastructure that allows tokenized assets to trade and settle outside conventional market hours while maintaining regulatory compliance and market safeguards.
The companies expect to launch Nasdaq Equity Tokens (NETs) in the second quarter of 2027 with Payward's xStocks platform.
Nasdaq said its tokens are intended to preserve the fundamental principles and benefits of regulated market infrastructure that ensures investor transparency, market integrity and liquidity.
"The next phase of the collaboration is planned to advance Nasdaq Equity Tokens onto rails that do not close, with shareholder rights intact," said Arjun Sethi, Co-CEO of Payward.
The investment builds on a partnership announced in March where Nasdaq said it will collaborate with Payward to develop tokenization infrastructure. 
Just after the collaboration announcement, the exchange operator also received approval from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to allow ​certain stocks to be traded and settled in tokenized form. 


 (Reporting by Pragyan Kalita in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)
 ((Pragyan.Kalita@thomsonreuters.com;))