Nasdaq and Kraken to launch issuer‑driven tokenized equities via xStocks gateway by 2027

Nasdaq announced on Monday that it is working with U.S. crypto exchange Kraken, its parent Payward, and Backed, the issuer of xStocks, to build an equities transformation gateway for tokenized shares. The initiative follows Nasdaq's tokenization filing with U.S. securities regulators in September 2025 and Kraken's acquisition of Backed in December, with full issuer services expected to start in the first half of 2027.