Nasdaq, Kraken Partner to Launch Global Tokenized Stock Trading
Nasdaq announced on March 9, 2026 that it will partner with crypto exchange Kraken to offer tokenized versions of publicly traded stocks to investors around the world. The offering would mint blockchain-based representations of existing equities, enabling trading and fractional ownership outside conventional market hours and leveraging Nasdaq’s market infrastructure alongside Kraken’s digital-asset rails. The firms frame the move as a bridge between traditional exchanges and distributed-ledger technology.
The partnership matters because tokenized stocks can expand cross-border access, increase liquidity and speed up settlement, but they also raise regulatory and custody questions that will shape how quickly the market adopts them. Market participants and regulators will watch whether tokenization replicates shareholder rights, compliance controls and disclosure standards. Still, the deal highlights a growing trend of incumbent financial firms experimenting with on-chain solutions to modernize capital markets.