Tag: Hyperledger

Nasdaq Goes On-Chain: Issuer-Led Equity Tokenization With DTCC Settlement and Kraken Gateway Launches H1 2027 — Wall Street's Most Consequential Market Infrastructure Overhaul in a Generation

On March 8, 2026, Nasdaq officially announced its issuer-led equity token design — the most structurally significant move in US capital market infrastructure since the introduction of electronic trading. Tokenized equities will trade on Nasdaq markets, settle through DTCC/DTC in token form, carry full legal equivalence to traditional shares, and integrate blockchain records directly into official issuer share registries. The SEC granted DTCC a three-year no-action letter on December 11, 2025 — confirmed by Bloomberg — authorizing tokenized stock custody on pre-approved blockchains. Nasdaq's rule filing was published in the Federal Register on January 29, 2026. Kraken (Payward) is Nasdaq's global access gateway partner. The program goes operational in H1 2027. DTCC's permissioned DLT infrastructure uses Hyperledger Besu and the ERC-3643 standard. The global tokenized asset market stands at $28 billion today; Ripple and BCG forecast $18.9 trillion by 2033.