Kraken Launches Crypto and Tokenized US Stock Bundles for Multi-Asset Investors

Kraken, best known as a cryptocurrency exchange, has been expanding into traditional financial services as digital-asset platforms seek broader sources of growth. Adding U.S.-listed equities in Europe advances its push to become a multi-asset investment venue, allowing customers to manage conventional securities and crypto holdings through one platform as the divide between the two markets continues to narrow.

The company has now opened U.S. stock trading to eligible customers across member countries of the European Economic Area. The rollout gives those users access to American equities alongside their existing crypto portfolios, reducing the need to maintain separate accounts with a digital-asset exchange and a conventional broker. The launch marks Kraken’s latest expansion in securities and its European operations.

Launched in June 2025, xStocks turns U.S.-listed stocks and exchange-traded funds into blockchain tokens backed one-for-one by securities held in regulated custody. The product, which is unavailable to U.S. residents, is designed to let eligible investors move and trade equity exposure across crypto exchanges, wallets and decentralized-finance applications. Expanding beyond U.S. names is significant because it tests whether tokenization can bridge capital markets still divided by national borders, currencies and trading hours.

Payward, the parent of cryptocurrency exchange Kraken, said on July 22, 2026, it had partnered with fintech infrastructure provider GTN to take xStocks into international equities, starting with Hong Kong-listed shares and later targeting the UK, Europe and South Korea. GTN will provide execution, custody and record-keeping across more than 90 markets, with distribution to institutional clients subject to local licensing. xStocks now covers more than 500 tokenized assets, has processed over $35 billion in transaction volume and has nearly 200,000 holders, according to the companies.

xStocks, adopted by Kraken, is a framework for tokenized U.S. stocks and ETFs backed 1:1 by the underlying assets and tradable around the clock onchain. The addition of perpetual futures allows non-U.S. investors to go long, short or hedge without being constrained by U.S. stock-market hours or contract expiry dates. However, high leverage also magnifies the risk of margin calls and liquidation.

On Feb. 24, 2026, Kraken launched its first 10 xStocks perpetual contracts on its regulated derivatives platform. The lineup included NVDAx, AAPLx, TSLAx, SPYx, QQQx and GLDx and was made available for 24/7 trading with leverage of up to 20 times to eligible non-U.S. clients in more than 110 countries. On July 3, Kraken also began accepting the 10 assets as collateral for futures or margin trading, applying haircuts of 10%–30% and individual caps ranging from $100,000 to $1 million.

Payward-owned Kraken is a major global cryptocurrency exchange, while Franklin Templeton is a traditional asset manager. Their partnership centers on bringing fund yields, collateral and trading services onto blockchains, allowing institutional investors to use tokenized assets within a compliant framework. The deal also reflects Wall Street’s accelerating push into asset tokenization.

As of July 20, 2026, Payward and Franklin Templeton had announced plans to jointly develop tokenized yield products, blockchain-based funds and institutional crypto market services. Kraken also plans to accept the BENJI tokenized money market fund as collateral. The companies have not disclosed the value of the partnership, a specific launch date or expected yields.