#Kraken
39 articles tagged #Kraken — curated RWA tokenization coverage.
Kraken parent expands tokenized stocks to Hong Kong, UK and South Korea equities
Payward, the parent company of Kraken, is expanding its xStocks tokenized equity platform to include international markets beyond the United States. Through a strategic partnership with investment infrastructure provider GTN, the firm plans to offer Hong Kong-listed stocks, with U.K., European, and South Korean equities expected to follow pending regulatory approval. This expansion aims to capture global demand for onchain access to diverse equities, particularly Asian firms involved in the AI supply chain. Since its inception last year, xStocks has supported over 500 tokenized securities, facilitating more than $35 billion in trading volume for nearly 200,000 holders. The initiative highlights a broader industry shift as crypto firms and traditional financial institutions race to bring global stock trading onchain to improve settlement speeds and market efficiency. By leveraging GTN’s connectivity to over 90 global markets, Payward seeks to move beyond the current focus on U.S.-centric assets. This development underscores the growing institutional conviction that tokenization will fundamentally upgrade capital markets, with Citi projecting a $5.5 trillion market for tokenized securities by 2030.
Kraken Partners With Nasdaq To Build Tokenized Equity Gateway
Payward, the parent company of Kraken, has entered a strategic partnership with Nasdaq to develop an equities transformation gateway designed to bridge regulated tokenized equity markets with permissionless blockchain networks. This infrastructure will utilize Kraken's xStocks product, which has already facilitated over $25 billion in total transaction volume and currently supports more than 85,000 unique holders. Scheduled for launch in the first half of 2027, the gateway aims to enable the movement of tokenized equities between permissioned environments and open on-chain ecosystems while maintaining regulatory compliance. Payward will manage KYC and AML onboarding, serving as the primary settlement layer for Nasdaq's issuer-sponsored equity token design in select jurisdictions. By enabling equities to function as interoperable collateral across spot, derivatives, and lending markets, the initiative seeks to eliminate the capital silos inherent in traditional brokerage systems. This development represents a significant shift toward enhancing capital efficiency by allowing equities to operate within unified margin frameworks similar to those found in crypto derivatives. Ultimately, the project aims to transform equities from static assets into natively interoperable instruments that preserve issuer rights and price integrity across diverse financial applications.
Tokenized stocks market cap gains to record $2.3B
The global market capitalization for tokenized stocks has reached a record $2.3 billion, reflecting a growing investor appetite for blockchain-based equity products. Ethereum currently leads the sector with a 34% market share, followed by BNB Chain at 30% and Solana at 23%. Ondo Finance maintains its position as the leading issuer with $955 million in onchain equities, while Kraken’s xStocks and Binance’s bStocks have contributed significantly to the sector's growth. Major exchanges are increasingly integrating traditional financial assets, with Kraken and Coinbase offering commission-free trading for thousands of US-listed stocks and ETFs. This trend toward tokenization provides investors with benefits such as fractional ownership and 24/7 trading capabilities. Despite this growth, tokenized stocks represent only 5.5% of the broader $34 billion RWA market, which is currently dominated by US Treasury debt. The expansion of these offerings highlights a broader shift toward multi-asset platforms that bridge the gap between traditional finance and decentralized infrastructure.
Kraken Launches Futures, Margin Trading Backed by Tokenized Stocks, ETFs
Kraken has officially introduced a new service enabling users to utilize tokenized stocks and exchange-traded funds as collateral for margin and futures trading. This integration allows investors to maintain exposure to major equities like Apple, Nvidia, and Tesla while simultaneously opening leveraged positions without the need to liquidate their underlying holdings. By accepting 10 specific tokenized assets, including the SPDR S&P 500 ETF and Invesco QQQ Trust, the exchange is bridging traditional equity markets with crypto-native trading mechanisms. This development represents a significant step in the maturation of the RWA sector, as it demonstrates the practical utility of tokenized securities in enhancing capital efficiency. Investors can now leverage their portfolios more dynamically, reducing the friction typically associated with moving assets between traditional brokerage accounts and crypto exchanges. The move signals a growing institutional appetite for integrating real-world financial instruments directly into digital asset ecosystems. As tokenized assets gain broader acceptance as collateral, the liquidity and utility of these instruments are expected to increase, further blurring the lines between legacy finance and blockchain-based trading platforms.
Best Platforms to Trade Tokenized Stocks
The market for tokenized stocks is expanding rapidly, with major exchanges like Kraken, Bybit, Bitget, Gemini, and Robinhood offering diverse access to U.S. equities via blockchain-based tokens. These platforms utilize various issuers such as Backed Finance, Ondo Global Markets, and Dinari to provide 1:1 backed assets or synthetic derivatives that track stock prices. Kraken leads with over 100 xStocks settled on Solana, while Robinhood offers the broadest catalog with approximately 2,000 tokens available to EU users. These instruments allow for fractional ownership, 24/7 trading, and settlement in stablecoins like USDT or USDC, significantly lowering entry barriers for global investors. However, most of these products are restricted from U.S. retail access due to regulatory constraints, and they generally provide economic exposure rather than actual shareholder voting rights. Investors must navigate different risk profiles, ranging from custody models backed by SIPC-covered shares to synthetic derivatives that carry counterparty risk. As of mid-2026, the sector is maturing with increased institutional-grade custody and competitive fee structures, though regional eligibility remains a primary hurdle for widespread adoption.
Marvell Technology outlines timeline for trillion-dollar ambitions as tokenized stock gains traction
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang recently identified Marvell Technology as a future trillion-dollar company during Computex 2026, triggering a 32.5% surge in the chipmaker's stock price. This valuation jump, which pushed Marvell's market cap to between $230 billion and $250 billion, follows a $2 billion strategic investment made by Nvidia in March 2026. Marvell is aggressively expanding its footprint in data center networking and custom AI silicon, recently launching a 102.4 Tbps AI/cloud switch and acquiring firms like Polariton Technologies and Celestial AI. While the company forecasts revenue growth to nearly $23 billion by fiscal 2029, analysts note that reaching a trillion-dollar valuation would require a significant price-to-sales multiple of 43x. The rise of tokenized equity has allowed blockchain-native investors to gain exposure to this volatility through platforms like Kraken, which offers MRVLx, and various Ondo-backed instruments. This development highlights the growing intersection between traditional AI-driven equity markets and decentralized finance. However, the rapid price movement underscores persistent risks in tokenized assets, specifically regarding liquidity and tracking accuracy during periods of high market volatility. Investors must remain cautious of potential price dislocations between the underlying stock and its blockchain-based counterparts.
Kraken lets traders use tokenized stocks as collateral for leveraged trades
Kraken has introduced a new feature allowing eligible international users to utilize tokenized stocks and ETFs as collateral for futures and margin trading without liquidating their positions. The initial rollout supports 10 assets, including major equities like Apple, Nvidia, and Tesla, alongside broad-market ETFs such as the SPDR S&P 500. To manage risk, Kraken has implemented a tiered haircut system, ranging from 10% for broad-market ETFs to 30% for more volatile individual stocks. Collateral limits are also strictly enforced, capping broad-market ETFs at $1 million and individual stocks at $250,000. This development signifies a broader industry trend where centralized exchanges are increasingly integrating tokenized real-world assets into their core trading infrastructure. By enabling users to maintain exposure to traditional securities while accessing leverage, Kraken is enhancing capital efficiency within the crypto ecosystem. This move follows similar initiatives by Binance and other platforms, reflecting a growing institutional appetite for using blockchain-based securities as versatile financial collateral.
Bending Spoons shares surge nearly 40% in NASDAQ debut, tokenized shares hit crypto exchanges
Italian software firm Bending Spoons successfully completed its NASDAQ IPO on July 1, 2026, raising $1.68 billion and achieving a market valuation of approximately $25.7 billion. The company, known for acquiring and optimizing underperforming digital platforms like Evernote and Vimeo, saw its shares close nearly 40% higher at $40.50 on the first day of trading. Alongside the traditional public listing, the firm introduced tokenized shares known as BSPx, which are accessible through platforms such as Kraken and Backed.fi. These tokens provide crypto-native investors with indirect exposure to the company's stock performance without requiring a traditional brokerage account. This development highlights a growing trend of bridging public equity markets with decentralized finance ecosystems to increase asset accessibility. While the initial market reception was strong, the subsequent 6% decline in pre-market trading underscores the volatility inherent in such assets. For the RWA market, the integration of BSPx represents a significant step in offering tokenized versions of high-profile tech stocks to a broader digital investor base. Investors remain focused on critical operational factors including liquidity, redemption mechanisms, and regulatory compliance for these tokenized instruments.
Centrifuge’s JAAA token settles instantly in Kraken’s custody 24/7
Kraken Institutional has integrated the JAAA token, a tokenized AAA-rated collateralized loan obligation (CLO) managed by Janus Henderson, into its qualified custody framework. This development marks the first real-world asset available within Kraken Custody, enabling institutional investors to hold the asset while benefiting from 24/7 instant on-chain settlement. The JAAA token, which currently represents approximately $686 million in assets, allows institutions to use their holdings as collateral for trading and borrowing via Kraken Prime. By leveraging Centrifuge’s tokenization infrastructure, the fund provides a 3.66% annualized yield while maintaining the security of a regulated custody environment. Originally seeded with $1 billion from the Sky ecosystem in June 2025, the asset has already seen significant adoption, including a $200 million allocation from Ethena. This integration bridges the gap for institutions hesitant about pure DeFi exposure by offering a familiar, regulated custody structure for high-quality credit assets. However, the move also introduces complex risk layers, as users are stacking traditional credit risk from the underlying corporate loans with smart contract risks and potential leverage on platforms like Aave Horizon.
Kraken Debuts Tokenized Stock Futures for Non-U.S. Traders
Kraken has officially launched tokenized stock futures for non-U.S. traders, enabling perpetual access to equity benchmarks without traditional market hour constraints. These contracts do not represent direct ownership of underlying shares but instead track tokenized equity benchmarks to facilitate continuous trading. This development follows Kraken's strategic acquisition of Backed Finance AG, the issuer of xStocks, which has already achieved over $25 billion in cumulative transaction volume within eight months. By integrating these products, Kraken is expanding its derivatives ecosystem, building upon its earlier acquisition of the futures platform NinjaTrader. The move signifies a broader trend of major exchanges bridging traditional financial derivatives with blockchain-based infrastructure to enhance liquidity and accessibility. While currently restricted from U.S. markets, the exchange plans to introduce additional tokenized stock and ETF contracts pending further regulatory approvals. This expansion highlights the growing institutional appetite for tokenized financial instruments that operate outside the limitations of legacy exchange hours.
Coinbase, Binance, Kraken Roll Out Rival Tokenized Stock Products In The Battle For Retail Dollars
Coinbase, Binance, and Kraken have simultaneously launched initiatives to offer tokenized stock products, signaling a major strategic pivot for crypto-native exchanges. Binance is utilizing Ondo Finance to provide digital securities that track traditional stock performance, while Coinbase has partnered with Yahoo Finance to integrate over 8,000 stocks with plans for future tokenization. Kraken has introduced tokenized equity perpetual futures contracts through its xStocks platform, offering up to 20x leverage for non-U.S. clients on assets like Nvidia, Apple, and the S&P 500. These moves are designed to capture market demand for blockchain-based financial assets while diversifying revenue streams amid declining trading volumes and recent financial losses reported by exchanges like Coinbase. The shift is supported by a changing regulatory landscape, including the GENIUS Act and the anticipated Clarity Act, which aim to provide clearer frameworks for on-chain securities. By enabling 24/7 trading of traditional equities, these exchanges are attempting to bridge the gap between legacy finance and decentralized markets. This trend underscores the growing institutional and retail appetite for tokenized real-world assets as a hedge against volatility in pure cryptocurrency markets.
Kraken expands OTC lending with onchain facility in partnership with Maple
Kraken has integrated its over-the-counter lending desk with Maple Finance’s onchain credit infrastructure to facilitate USDC liquidity for institutional clients. This partnership establishes a revolving credit facility that allows accredited lenders on Maple to supply capital directly to Kraken’s Pro-level verified borrowers. With a minimum loan size of $500,000, the initiative targets funds and trading firms rather than retail participants. By leveraging Maple’s protocol, which has historically originated over $17 billion in loans, Kraken is adopting a capital-light strategy that decouples its lending growth from internal balance sheet constraints. This move represents a significant shift toward transparent, onchain credit markets following the industry-wide collapse of opaque lending platforms in 2022. The integration complements Maple’s existing presence in the Kraken ecosystem, including the deployment of syrupUSDC on the Ink L2 network. Ultimately, this collaboration provides a new distribution channel for Maple while offering Kraken a scalable, visible alternative to traditional bilateral lending arrangements.
Crypto Exchanges Are Becoming RWA Exchanges, CryptoQuant’s Ki Young Ju Says
CryptoQuant founder and CEO Ki Young Ju posits that digital asset trading platforms are rapidly evolving into Real World Asset (RWA) exchanges, transcending their traditional role as venues for cryptocurrencies. This transformation signals the next phase of blockchain adoption, as major exchanges broaden their offerings to include tokenized equities, private credit, and government bonds. Kraken, for example, has significantly expanded its tokenized equities through its xStocks initiative, with nearly half of its new spot listings during the first four months of 2026 being RWA or tokenized stocks. This strategic pivot enables exchanges to attract traditional investors, diversify revenue streams, and provide 24/7 access to financial products. The trend aligns with increasing institutional demand for yield-generating and regulated assets over volatile cryptocurrencies. Stablecoins are emerging as the preferred settlement layer for these assets, while blockchain networks like Ethereum and Solana are positioning themselves as core infrastructure for tokenized finance. This transition is expected to substantially expand the addressable market for crypto exchanges by onboarding trillions of dollars in traditional assets onto blockchain infrastructure.
Kraken Eyes 15% Stake In Aave Group In $71 Million Deal, Deepening Institutional DeFi Push
Kraken is reportedly in advanced negotiations to acquire a 15% equity stake in Aave Group, the parent entity of the Aave lending protocol. The proposed $71 million deal involves Kraken investing 35,000 ETH in exchange for 250,000 AAVE tokens and the equity position, valuing Aave Group at approximately $385 million. This transaction marks the inaugural investment for Kraken’s Payward Asset Management initiative, signaling a strategic shift toward direct governance influence in decentralized finance. By securing a significant stake in a protocol with over $18 billion in total value locked, Kraken aims to diversify revenue streams beyond traditional trading fees and custody services. The move highlights a growing trend of centralized exchanges integrating vertically into DeFi infrastructure to capture on-chain yield. However, the deal faces potential regulatory hurdles, as the SEC’s stance on DeFi tokens as securities remains a critical point of uncertainty for U.S.-based exchanges. If finalized, this partnership would represent the most direct equity link between a major centralized exchange and a leading DeFi protocol to date.
Bitget Wallet Adds Over 130 xStocks Tokenized Equities
Bitget Wallet has integrated xStocks infrastructure to provide its 90 million users with access to over 130 tokenized equities and ETFs. This expansion increases the platform's total RWA offerings to more than 300 products, including commodities and precious metals. Since its 2025 launch, the tokenized equity suite has processed over $30 billion in transaction volume, highlighting significant demand for on-chain traditional financial exposure. The integration utilizes xStocks, a platform acquired by Kraken parent company Payward through its purchase of Backed Finance in late 2025. Users benefit from zero trading fees and gasless execution while maintaining self-custody of their assets. Although restricted in jurisdictions like the U.S. and U.K., the move signals a broader trend of crypto wallets bridging traditional market access with decentralized infrastructure. With xStocks currently holding approximately $391.5 million in represented asset value, this partnership strengthens its competitive position against market leaders like Ondo.
Crypto Biz: SpaceX fuels tokenization’s next boom
The tokenized real-world asset sector continues to demonstrate significant growth despite broader crypto market volatility, with Binance Research reporting a 589% surge in active tokenized RWA market value since early 2025. This expansion is driven by a $6.5 billion increase in bonds and money market funds, alongside a 422% rise in tokenized stocks. Kraken has furthered this momentum by launching xStocks, providing eligible users in over 110 markets access to tokenized SpaceX shares represented by the SPCXx token. These tokens are backed 1:1 by underlying equity and offer 24/7 tradability, marking a notable step in bringing private equity to blockchain infrastructure. Meanwhile, the broader ecosystem is diversifying, with tokenized precious metals attracting $1.5 billion in inflows as investors seek safe-haven assets. Institutional adoption is also accelerating, evidenced by Apex Group’s fund services and The Clearing House’s development of a tokenized deposit network. This trend underscores a shift toward integrating traditional financial instruments with blockchain technology, moving beyond crypto-native use cases to provide broader market access.
Kraken offers SpaceX IPO access through xStocks
Crypto exchange Kraken has launched IPO Access through its xStocks platform, enabling eligible users across more than 110 international markets to register for tokenized SpaceX equity. This initiative allows investors to receive SPCXx tokens, which are backed 1:1 by underlying SpaceX shares, facilitating 24/7 trading on Kraken and other xStocks-integrated platforms. The offering marks a significant convergence between traditional capital markets and blockchain infrastructure, providing retail access to a highly anticipated public listing. SpaceX is reportedly seeking to raise approximately $75 billion at a valuation of at least $1.8 trillion, potentially setting a record as the largest IPO in history. While the offering is available in the European Economic Area and various international regions, it remains restricted in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom due to regulatory constraints. The move highlights the increasing utility of tokenization in democratizing access to private equity and pre-IPO opportunities. By leveraging onchain representations of traditional assets, Kraken aims to streamline participation in major corporate milestones while managing high investor demand.
Kraken parent Payward brings tokenized IPO access to retail investors
Payward Services, a Kraken-affiliated company, is launching a program allowing eligible retail investors to access US initial public offerings (IPOs) at the offering price through tokenized shares. By leveraging the xStocks infrastructure, the initiative enables users to express interest in upcoming IPOs and receive 1:1 backed tokenized shares on listing day. This process democratizes access to investment opportunities typically reserved for institutional clients, effectively removing traditional barriers related to geography and net worth. The shares are backed by underlying stock held in custody by a regulated entity, ensuring a secure link between the blockchain-based tokens and traditional financial assets. This development represents a significant step in the broader RWA tokenization movement, which aims to integrate traditional financial products with blockchain infrastructure. With the RWA market reaching $51 billion, this move highlights the growing trend of using onchain settlement to broaden market participation. The first offerings are expected to roll out to Kraken and xStocks Alliance members in the coming weeks, with plans to expand to additional markets over time.