Nasdaq Pushes for 2027 Launch of Tokenized Stocks with Full Shareholder Rights

Nasdaq is pushing forward with plans to launch its 'Nasdaq Equity Token (NET)' in the second quarter of 2027. The product will tokenize Nasdaq-listed stocks on a blockchain, providing shareholders with identical voting rights and legal protections as traditional shares. Unlike some existing tokenized stock products that merely track price, NET ensures issuers retain control over shareholder registries and corporate governance structures. To support this initiative, Nasdaq Ventures has invested $100 million in Payward, the parent company of cryptocurrency exchange Kraken. Payward's xStocks platform will serve as the core infrastructure for distributing NET, which aims to enable 24/7 trading and on-chain settlements.