The week in GRC: Better Markets sues Fed alleging collusion with Wall Street banks as Nasdaq makes tokenization investment | Governance Intelligence -

Nasdaq’s venture arm has committed a $100 million investment into Payward, the parent company of the cryptocurrency exchange Kraken, to accelerate the development of tokenization infrastructure. This strategic partnership aims to launch Nasdaq Equity Tokens (NETs) by the second quarter of 2027 via the xStocks platform. The initiative focuses on creating systems that enable the trading and settlement of tokenized assets outside of traditional market hours while maintaining strict regulatory compliance and investor protections. By linking regulated markets with blockchain-based systems, the collaboration seeks to preserve market integrity and liquidity for tokenized securities. This move represents a significant institutional push to modernize financial market infrastructure by integrating continuous trading capabilities into the equity ecosystem. The project builds upon a prior partnership established in March, signaling a long-term commitment to bridging the gap between legacy financial systems and distributed ledger technology. This development is a critical indicator of how major exchange operators are actively positioning themselves to capture the growing demand for tokenized real-world assets.